When The Smoke Clears
by SecondStarToTheRight18
Summary: - ABANDONED - If everything you ever knew suddenly fell apart around you and you were left to pick up the pieces, standing in the war zone, just trying to find a piece of reality to hold onto, what would you do? Summary continued inside.
1. Prologue

**I do not own Summerland.**

**Hello all! This is an idea that hit me several nights ago. It's just a test run, nothing final, nothing sure. And mostly, no promise that I'm going to write it. I'll only know after I get some feedback. So here goes, please tell me every honest thing you think about it so I'll know what to do with it!!**

**One thing though: Some background information had to be altered for this story, sorry. First and biggest change will be seen in the story, roundabouts chapter 2. And I can't mention it right now cause it would be a big spoiler. But the other biggest change is the Westerly children's ages. In the show they were 16, 14 and 10, I think, when their parents died. In this fic they will be 14, 12 and 8 when their parents die. And also, they have been living at Ava's for exactly a year when this story begins. Anything else should be explained as the story goes along. Thanks! And now you can read!

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Summary:

** If everything you ever knew suddenly fell apart around you and you were left to pick up the pieces, standing in the war zone, just trying to find a piece of reality to hold onto, what would you do? And if all you had left was your name, and you weren't even sure of that anymore, what would you do? And what if every last thing you ever thought was true... crumbled, leaving you standing in the dust, just waiting for the smoke to clear? This is his story.**

_**Prologue**_

"Bradin! Come on, give it back to me!" Nikki Westerly screeched, yelling at her older brother.

"Make me!" Bradin teased her, acting much younger then he was.

"I'll just tell aunt Ava, she'll make you!" Nikki stuck out her tongue and went running to their aunt, who was sitting on the back steps of her large beach house, watching the kids goofing around on the beach. "Aunt Ava, Bradin has my cell phone and he's going through my texts!" the 13-year-old whined to her aunt.

"Bradin, give your sister her phone." Ava yelled to Bradin who had flopped in the sand a short distance away from the house and was, indeed, going through Nikki's text messages.

Bradin rolled his eyes and didn't even get up.

"Aunt Ava!!" Nikki groaned.

Ava shook her head and stood up, walking out to where Bradin was laying. "Bradin..." she warned.

"Awe, I'm not doing anything to it..." Bradin insisted.

"Bradin, give me Nikki's phone." Ava felt like she was talking to a 7-year-old, not a 15-year-old.

"Here..." Bradin grumbled, handing his aunt the cell phone. Ava took it from him and headed back to the house. She handed it to her niece, who thanked her and ran inside, as she sat back down on the steps.

She watched as Bradin sat up in the sand, his back to the house, and stared slightly upward, looking out towards the Pacific Ocean as the late afternoon sun beat down on Playa Linda, California. After a few minutes Bradin stood up and walked up to the house, sitting down beside his aunt.

Ava ran a hand through his hair and kissed him on the forehead. "Everything okay, Sweetie?" she asked gently.

"Yeah..." Bradin stared out at the ocean. "What was the last thing you said to my mom?" he asked suddenly.

"Well, let me think a second..." Ava said, not expecting Bradin's question. "I think the last thing I said was something like, 'Karen, I really do have to go. I'll call you tonight.' But the context of that was that we were close to outright arguing about something... My life, I think." Ava recalled.

"Really?" Bradin seemed distant but came back to reality and said, "Wouldn't you like to be able to go back and just tell that person you loved them and let _that_ be the last thing you said to them?"

"I really would, yes. Why, Honey, what was the last thing you said to her?"

"That I was coming with her and Dad to help to sand bag the den... but she told me no, to stay and watch Nik and D... Then she told my girlfriend that she was calling her mom and she left."

"And..."

"I never saw her breathing again." Bradin said softly. "I just wish I had known... I would have told her I loved her. Hugged her... done anything! You know, anything to let her know how much I loved her."

"I know, Sweetie... me too." Ava hugged Bradin close to her and the two of them watched as night fell and the sun sank below the horizon.

"Hey, guys... what are we missing?" Nikki asked, walking onto the deck with Derrick. She squeezed herself between her older brother and the railing of the deck, and leaned onto his shoulder as Derrick sat down on his aunt's lap.

Bradin put his left arm around Nikki's shoulders, his right one already being around his aunt's, and said, "We were just talking about Mom."

"Really? What about her?" Nikki wanted to know.

"What the last thing we said to her was..." Bradin said quietly.

"What'd you say?" she asked.

"That I was coming with her and Dad to sand bag the den... and she said I wasn't and to watch you guys and that all bed times still applied. Then she told Sharon she was sending her mother to pick her up and then she left... What about you?" Bradin asked.

"I think I told her something about her and Dad being careful-" Nikki choked and didn't finish, remembering that fateful night.

Bradin squeezed her shoulders to let her know he understood.

"The last thing I told her was that I wanted her to tuck me in..." Derrick spoke up.

Nikki, Ava and Bradin cringed.

"But she said she probably wouldn't be back in time so she gave me a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight right then. So did Daddy..." Derrick finished.

The other three smiled.

"What about Dad, Brae? Last thing you said to him?"

"I'm not sure.. something that morning... about my alarm clock, I think." Bradin laughed wryly.

"Yeah, I can't really remember what I said either..."

"He kissed me goodnight." Derrick quipped cheerfully.

Nikki and Bradin chuckled along with Ava and the foursome sat out talking long into the night until Derrick had fallen asleep and Ava was headed the same way.

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**Next...**


	2. Into The Night

**Chapter One**

_**Into The Night**_

"Okay, so what we do now is hook this wire thingy to this other wire thingy and hope the whole engine doesn't explode." Johnny Durant was saying to a 15-and-a-half-year-old Bradin Westerly.

Bradin stared at him. "You don't work on cars much do you?"

"My mechanic died last month... no." Johnny chuckled. "Don't look that way! It's not like you know what to do either." The older of the two grumbled.

Bradin just grinned. The two were leaning over the engine of Johnny's black, '03 Saturn trying to get the car to run.

"Actually..." Bradin fiddled with a few things too fast for Johnny to catch what he was doing and stood up straight. "Start it." Bradin instructed.

"Will it blow up?" Johnny asked cautiously.

"No..." Bradin laughed. "It won't blow up, promise."

"Alright..." Johnny slipped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life and Bradin shut the hood, grinning at Johnny through the front windshield. "Better?" he asked.

Johnny shut the car off. "Alright, alright. What did you do anyway?"

"Oh, I just-"

"Excuse me?" a voice interrupted from behind the two men.

Bradin and Johnny turned around to see a stranger about Johnny's age, maybe a little younger, with dirty blonde hair and green eyes that stuck out in his tanned face, which was semi sharply featured. He was clad in a green and black plaid button down, long sleeve shirt and comfortably worn blue jeans and wore light brown hiker boots.

"Can we do something for you?" Johnny asked, knowing the man couldn't possibly be from anywhere around there.

"Yes, I'm looking for Ms. Ava Gregory. This her place?" He smiled and his eyes seemed to sparkle. Johnny was struck for a second because something about the man seemed familiar to him. He couldn't place it right off the top of his head though, so he put the thought away.

"Yeah, she lives here. Along with the rest of the clan, but yeah, you might call it 'her place.'" Johnny laughed easily. "Johnny Durant." Johnny said, extending his hand to the newcomer.

"Harry Carver." The man said, shaking Johnny's hand. "Nice to meet you. Is Ava here right now, by chance?" he asked.

"No, but she should... uh, make that speak of the devil. Or the pretty blonde anyway." Johnny laughed as Ava pulled into the driveway behind Johnny's car. She got out, talking on a cell phone, clearly frustrated with whoever was on the other line, and walked up to the group. "Look, I'm just going to have to call you back, okay? I've got a situation here right now." Pause. "Okay, I'll talk to you later, goodbye." Ava hung up and let out a sigh. Speaking to Johnny she said, "That was Rudy..."

Bradin made a face. "Hasn't anyone killed him yet?"

"Bradin Westerly!!" Ava exclaimed, aghast. Harry Carver seemed to choke/cough at this moment.

"Well, really. He has no friends and plenty of enemies, so I'm just wondering." Bradin shrugged like it was no big deal.

"I'm actually gonna have to agree with him on this one, Ava. The man's a real sleaze." Johnny spoke up.

"I know that... but... oh, just forget it." Ava turned to the outsider and smiled. "Hi, have we met?"

"No, not yet. Well, actually, we might have. Back when your sister was still alive..." Harry smiled. "Harry Carver."

"Ava Gregory... I'm sorry, but your name doesn't ring a bell." Ava said apologetically.

"Didn't expect it to, really. But I think you'll remember me. I wonder if I could speak to you... in private?" Harry asked.

Ava nodded. "Of course, won't you come inside? Though I'm not sure that will be much more private." She added dryly. "But I'm sure I can kick somebody out of at least one room." She smiled and led Harry into the house.

"Okay..." Bradin said. "Tell me I didn't look that out of place when I first moved here."

"I'd love to... but I can't." Johnny teased, earning a glare from Bradin, which made him laugh aloud. "Lunch? My treat, for uh.. fixing my car."

This time it was Bradin's turn to laugh. "Sure."

­­---

"So, you see, that's my story." Harry Carver finished a long spill, taking a sip of the coffee Ava had provided him with.

"I _do_ remember you... I knew you and Karen dated. But, God, Karen never told me you were... well, she just didn't mention _that_." Ava was, safe to say, in shock from what she'd just been told.

"We agreed to keep it from Robert, I don't know if she ever told either of them or not, but she would always send me a letter once a year with his school picture and a brief update on how he was doing. You know, all the major points... So when I didn't get anything for last year, I got curious and a little worried." Harry paused to take a sip of coffee before continuing. "So I went back to Hogarth and finally figured out what all had happened. So I came here... I figured it was time I met my son... if that was at all possible."

Ava nodded. "I see. Well, I don't know... Bradin's just been through _so_ much this past year. I mean, losing both his mother and father... or... or what he thought was his father anyway, - Ava shook her head, trying to clear it - and then moving from the place he'd known his whole life and trying to find a place for himself here... I just don't know..."

"I understand all of that. But since Karen and her husband _are_ dead... don't you think it would be okay, even better, to go ahead and tell Bradin that Bob wasn't his real father?" Harry was trying to reason with Ava without letting her know how anxious he was to finally meet Bradin, his son.

Ava looked down for a minute, taking a deep breath. "Probably..." she took another deep breath and let it out. "But not today at least, alright? Give me a couple of days to... to process all of this and talk to Johnny."

Harry nodded readily. "Of course, of course." He smiled. "But why with Johnny? Aren't you Bradin's legal guardian?"

"Yes, but Johnny's been like a father to Bradin since Bob died... Jay too, and Susannah a second mother. Really, we've all just become one big, tight knit family. So I think I should discuss it all with, at least, Johnny." Ava explained.

"That's perfectly fine with me. I understand that. Don't let me seem pushy, I'm willing to wait a few more days. After all, I've waited 15 years not knowing if I ever even _would_ get to meet him." Harry seemed to genuinely care for this son he had never even met.

Ava smiled. "Sometimes it's the final hours before something that are the hardest."

"I agree." Harry nodded. "It's just, when I got Karen pregnant, we were young and she was engaged and it was all just a big mess. And we talked it over and decided to let Robert think it was his. That was her idea, I said I'd go with whatever she decided. And that's what she decided so I respected it and we went our separate ways." Harry took a deep breath before going on. "But over the years I've wished I could have been a part of his life. I never married, or haven't yet anyway, and I never had anymore kids and it's really been a pretty boring life." Harry chuckled. "But I made good money. And I have nothing to do with it. And I really do love my son... whether anyone can believe that or not..."

"I can believe that. Of course you do! You know what... maybe I don't need to talk it over with Johnny, maybe I should just let you talk to Bradin now..." Ava started thinking out loud.

"Whichever you prefer, like I said, I can wait a few more days." Harry smiled and Ava was struck with how much this man looked like Bradin when both of them were smiling, though they normally didn't really resemble each other very much. A few things here and there, but not much. Ava had never realized before how Bradin didn't exactly look like his father, Bob, or either of his siblings... But now that she thought about it, he didn't. Not much. Of course some, because Karen was mother of all three of them, but Bob wasn't in Bradin and Ava had never seen that before. "He looks like you." She said decidedly.

"Yeah, I can see that... from the pictures anyway. And that was him outside, right?" Harry asked. He had choke/coughed when Ava said "Westerly" because he realized that was his son. Though he had suspected it already from having seen pictures.

"Yes, that was Bradin." Ava smiled. She stood up and looked out the window. The two were sitting in the living room, Ava having kicked Nikki and Derrick out of the house. Ava noticed Johnny's car was gone. "I think they left. But they'll be back, why don't you stay to dinner and I'll say you're an old friend of Karen's and we'll take it from there?" Ava suggested, turning around.

Harry accepted the offer with a smile, "That sounds great."

The hours till dinner, being 4, escaped the world one second at a time until finally Ava was yelling through the house that dinner was ready and that they had a guest so please behave yourselves. Likely she was talking to the kids but you never knew, since the house could get pretty rowdy anytime due to just about anybody in the house... except maybe Ava. Or maybe her too, come to think of it.

Banging footsteps could be heard from overhead and Ava looked over to Harry, who had been standing in he kitchen talking with her the whole time she cooked. "Nikki and Derrick find it impossible to get downstairs without sounding like a herd of elephants..."

Harry laughed. "Well, they're young, they're energetic... it's hard."

Ava laughed back. "Mm hmm..." she rolled her eyes as Nikki burst in the kitchen door, Derrick at her heels, the two of them going back and forth over something.

"It's simple, Derrick, he's the best in the world!!" Nikki was saying.

"Nuh uh. Tony Hawk is." Derrick shot back.

"No, you are soooo wrong. It's definitely Ryan Sheckler." Nikki yelled back. It was obvious to Ava and Harry that Nikki was only joking with Derrick, but Derrick was really arguing.

"You're only saying that cause you think he's _cute_!!" Derrick said, disgustedly.

Nikki burst into laughter. "Yeah, I do. Got a problem with that!?? Oh, and _Bradin_ agrees with me! Don't you, Brae?" Nikki asked, turning to her older brother, who had just come in the back door.

"Whoaaa, whoa, no. I'm not getting tricked into 'agreeing' with anybody. Not after last weekend." Bradin laughed, throwing his hands up as if to ward off getting involved in his siblings' "argument."

"Humph, fine!" Nikki folded her arms across her chest, pretending she was mad.

Bradin grinned at her. "Get mad, I'm still not 'agreeing' with anybody." Nikki rolled her eyes and took her place at the table beside Derrick.

"It's Tony Hawk!!" he half shouted at Nikki.

"Okay, okay. It's Tony Hawk, sheesh." Nikki finally gave in.

Bradin came up to his aunt and smiled at the stranger. "You were here earlier, right?"

"That's right."

Bradin nodded then turned to his aunt, "Hey, I've got a question but... could I ask you in private?"

"Sure, Sweetie, um... Susannah!" Ava called her friend and business partner over. "Help with the food, huh? We'll be back in a minute."

Susannah nodded. "Okay."

Ava and Bradin went into the living room which was empty because, by this point, everybody had made it to the kitchen/dining area.

"What is it, Honey?" Ava asked her oldest nephew.

"I was just wondering if you had talked to Aunt Grace about Christmas."

"Oh, yeah, I have. Do you guys wanna go?"

"I don't know about going back home... but I guess it's been long enough, I mean.." Bradin was speaking softly and he let his voice trail away, not finishing what he was saying.

Ava hugged him and took up where he left off. "I'll hurt yeah, I know. It'll hurt me too, Sweetie, but if you think you're ready, I'll ask Nikki and Derrick and if they agree too, which I kind of think they will, we'll all for to Graces's for Christmas, okay?"

"Alright."

"Hungry?"

Bradin nodded. "Yeah. And Johnny's pathetic."

"Bradin!" Ava tried not to laugh.

"He couldn't even figure out what was wrong with his car today..."

"Well, Johnny's never been gifted in the mechanic's department... I think he always relied on Larry Stevens to do his work for him." Ava laughed.

"Larry's the one that just passed away, right?"

"Yeah, last month. He was such a nice old man."

Bradin nodded, "Yeah... well, it doesn't make Johnny any less pathetic!" he hurried into the kitchen before his aunt could hit his arm.

"No, so I told him not to bother and that it really didn't matter what he said, we weren't letting him see any of our line." Susannah was saying to Jay when Bradin and Ava walked back into the kitchen. Serving themselves, they sat down around the table. The seating arrangement went, Johnny at one end, Ava at the other, Susannah on Ava's right, Jay on Ava's left, across from Susannah, Nikki beside Susannah to her right, Derrick across from her next to Bradin who sat Bradin beside Jay to his left and their guest, Harry Carver, across from Bradin on Nikki's right. Harry watched the family as they ate, keeping mostly silent unless spoken to. Bradin seemed like a happy enough kid. He was laughing at something his sister had just said and cracking a joke with Jay... Maybe he should just leave well enough alone and go back home without talking to Bradin at all...

"So where are you from, mate?" The question was directed at Harry, from Jay.

"Kansas." Harry couldn't lie He noticed all three kids glance at him then look back down at their plates or whoever they had been talking to. Bradin, however, looked back up and asked, "Where in Kansas?"

"Small, small town that you probably never heard of..." Harry chuckled.

"I'm sure I have." Bradin insisted.

"Not unless you lived there yourself!"

"In the town, or in Kansas?" Nikki giggled.

"In the town." Harry chuckled. "Real rural."

"We just might have." Nikki smiled. "We're from Kansas."

Harry nodded. "Ah..." he wasn't wanting to lead them on to believe he didn't know them but he wasn't wanting to give anything away yet either. "Well I live near Silverstone."

"No way. We lived in Hogarth." Nikki said. "Know it?"

"Sure do... grew up there actually." Harry smiled.

"That's so weird."

"Wait, that's how you knew my mom then, right?" Bradin asked, remembering that Harry had said something to his aunt earlier about having known Karen back when she was still alive.

"That's right. Took her to prom, actually... but that's another story." Harry put a forkful of meat loaf into his mouth.

"You dated our mom?" Nikki asked, almost laughing.

Harry, his mouth being full, nodded and glanced at Ava. She smiled to indicate that it was okay to talk about this stuff and that if it got out about Bradin, then it got out and there was no reason to lie about it.

"Wow." Nikki looked over at Bradin. "Never heard about him, did we?" she asked.

Bradin shook his head no. "Not exactly."

"Mom told you about him?" Nikki asked, curious.

"No, not really."

"What do you mean then!?" Nikki exclaimed, laughing.

"I mean I was a rotten little boy who read my mother's diary." Bradin grinned impishly.

"BRADIN!!" Nikki half yelled. "You did not!"

"I did so." Bradin stated. "I was about 10 and she caught me before I really read anything but I remembered the name."

"Ooh, what'd she say about him?" Nikki had forgotten everybody else was still sitting there.

"She caught me, I told you. In fact, it was about prom that I would've been reading but she caught me too quick." Bradin laughed. "All I knew was that she went to prom with a guy named Harry and he was a good dancer. Then I knew every inch and detail of the far left corner of the living room."

The table erupted in laughter.

"You read Karen's diary... that's funny. I couldn't bring myself to even crack it open!" Ava said seriously.

"I was ten, dang..." Bradin chuckled. "Besides, I never looked at it again... not after the look she gave me and not after what Dad said to me." Bradin pretended to shudder at the memory.

"What did he say?" Nikki wanted to know.

"Um... without or without the cussing and the yelling?" Bradin asked mischievously.

"Wow... was there like some great secret beyond secret in there or something?" Nikki asked, half jokingly, half serious.

Bradin shrugged. "I have no clue. But anyway, so you went to prom with our mom..." he looked at Harry and smiled questioningly. "I thought she was engaged like, in February."

"She was but, if I recall right, Bob couldn't make it and she asked if she could go with somebody else and he was fine with it. I knew she had a fiancé, I just didn't have a date so I figured, what the heck." Harry laughed.

"Mom was a baddd girl..." Nikki giggled.

Bradin rolled his eyes. "Not over that, Nikki."

"Shut up, Bradin, okay?" Nikki said jokingly

Bradin frowned at her and took a bite of his dinner roll.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here?" Jay asked, laughing because it really was, in fact, a rather rude thing to ask.

Once again Harry glanced at Ava.

"That's a long story..." Ava spoke up cautiously.

"Sorry." Jay apologized and took to finishing off the food on his plate

The conversation somehow turned to politics and it wasn't until the kids were finished washing the dishes that the "debating" between the adult, most of them having strongly different opinions, had quit.

Nikki and Derrick said goodnight to Harry and excused themselves along with Jay and Susannah, leaving Ava, Johnny and Bradin in the kitchen with Harry. Bradin was about to leave the room himself but Ava asked him to stay. Before she could say anything more however, the house phone rang. Bradin picked it up. "Hello?" he waited and then smiled widely. "Hey..."

Ava shook her head. "Girl." Johnny nodded and Harry laughed.

"No, not exactly but if you want to, I'll go."

Ava frowned at him. "Where?" she mouthed.

"I don't think she'll mind... _will _you, Aunt Ava?" Bradin asked his aunt.

"Mind what?" Ava made a stern face, but she was mostly joking.

"Mind if I go to that 3 Doors Down concert on Saturday with my friend, Sasha." Bradin said, obviously hopeful, but concealing it well.

"I suppose not..." Ava had actually thought about going to that herself. "I was actually going to try and go..."

"Really? Yeah, she said she was going." Bradin laughed into the phone. "Okay." He again spoke to his aunt. "She says it would be cool if we all went together. And I know Nikki wanted to come."

"Then it's a date." Ava laughed. "I mean a plan..." she corrected as Bradin shook his head at her.

"Yeah, okay, Sash... I'll call you tomorrow and figure it all out." He smiled again. "I told you to pay attention. Hold on, I'll see if I can find it." He set the phone, it being corded and hanging on the wall, down on the counter and ran upstairs then back down again about a minute later. Picking up the phone he said, "Chapters 3, 6 and 8. I don't know... I skipped that class today cause I had that stupid quiz in math... okay, talk to you then. Bye. Oh, and if you get it from her, would you call me back?" Bradin chuckled, "Thanks, bye."

"What was that about?" Ava laughed after he had hung up.

"She needed the homework review assignment thing or whatever for tomorrow's test in science. And I need the one for English..." Bradin rolled his eyes, "which she doesn't have. But she's gonna see if one of her other friends got it... Anyway, did you need me for something or can I go now?" he asked.

"Well, actually, we had something to tell you..." Ava looked to Harry and Johnny. They were all sitting down at the table, Harry in the same spot he'd sat in to eat, Johnny where Ava had sat and Ava where Jay had sat. She had gotten a chance to talk it over with Johnny and they all agreed to go ahead and tell Bradin.

"Okay... This isn't good, is it?" Bradin was puzzled. He could understand if it was just Johnny and Ava and he was in trouble or something, but the added party was weird.

"I wouldn't say that, Bradin... why don't you sit down?" Johnny spoke up.

Bradin, still looking puzzled and a tad suspicious, sat down across from Harry and turned to face Johnny and Ava. "What is it?"

"Bradin, did your mother ever mention anything to you about Harry?" Ava asked, softly.

Bradin shook his head. "No, she didn't."

"Did she ever tell you anything at all about him?" Ava pressed.

"No, Aunt Ava. The only way I had even heard his name was from that diary. And honestly I never thought another thing about it until he showed up here today." Bradin answered.

"I see. Well, Honey... Did you ever realize you were born a little too soon to have been conceived after your parents were married?"

Bradin nodded. "Yeah, I figured she got pregnant before the wedding. But I knew they were engaged then so I guess I didn't think about it... why?"

"Because... well, Honey, your mother cheated on your father before they got married..." Ava paused a second, seeing what Bradin would say but he stayed silent so she continued. "You were born in February and your parents were married in August, but your mother had cheated in May... at her senior prom."

Bradin felt his lungs close up and he swallowed. Was she saying that his father wasn't really his father and that this man, Harry Carver, was?

"So you were born 5 months after they got married, but you weren't premature, and I don't know if Karen ever told Bob or not, but, Bradin, Sweetheart, this is your father." Ava gestured her hand at Harry. Bradin, who was looking directly to his right at his aunt, didn't turn his head but instead glanced at Johnny. Johnny smiled softly, almost sympathetically, and nodded. Bradin turned to Harry at this point and pressed his lips together.

There was silence at the table and nobody knew quite how to break it... It was extremely uncomfortable and Ava felt the only thing that could make it worse would be to speak, so she kept quiet, waiting to see how things played out.

Bradin, who had been in a deadlock stare with Harry, finally broke his gaze away and looked down slightly, muttering., "Damn..." He looked back at Harry but spoke to Ava, "She never told Dad?"

"Not that I know of... but I really don't know for certain much of anything about it. She could have told Bob and I never would have known... I don't know, Honey." Ava stroked the back of Bradin's head, taking his right hand with hers, under the table.

Bradin took a deep breath and again looked away from Harry. "I need a minute..." He said quietly and stood up, going out the back door and disappearing, the night slowly swallowing him up in her shadows.

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**And that's what I've got! (Or all I'm giving y'all as of now haha) Remember, it's just a test run. Sort of a beta if you will, so please, please, pretty please let me know what y'all think!! Thank you so much!! (I realize it's a major change to the show, but... I'm not sure if I made this clear or not but by know you should all know that I write "Summerland Reinvented" stories! Lmbo) Love you guy!! Can't wait to hear what you think!**

_Xoxo,  
Anna Christie_


	3. Who Do You Think You Are Anyway?

**I do not own own Summerland.**

**Two things. Okay, first I want to say thank you a TRILLION to my nine reviewers! NINE, OH MY GOD, NINE!! Haha Well, um, sorry, but that's exciting, dudettes! COUGH 'Kay, enough of the weirdness and onto the other thing. The other thing is this, I know in the show Bradin likes Erica. But in this story, he never fell for her and he never will fall for her. He sees her and respects her for the older woman she is. Plus, he's young in my story, so it just works better if he never likes her. And I'm not sure Bradin's going to surf either... he might, probably will, but I haven't decided 100% yet. Sorry about all the changes, guys, hope you'll all put up with them though cause I really, really want y'all to like this story. And now, without further adieu, except to scream THANK YOU again to my NINE reviewers, here is the next chapter of When The Smoke Clears. Enjoy and please keep reviewing! It means so much, as you can kinda probably see... lol!**

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**Chapter Two**

_**Who Do You Think You Are Anyway?**_

Bradin walked alone down the beach, his mind was whirling, he was going from breathing too hard to breathing hardly at all. He'd been walking for the past 30 minutes... or had it been an hour? He stopped suddenly and looked around him. He honestly didn't know where he even was anymore. He was cold, though it was August, and tired. He hadn't needed the shock of his life tonight... maybe around noon tomorrow, that would have been good... No, that would not have been good. No time would have been good. Why did he have to have another father? Couldn't things just settle down now? It was better if his father was Bob because then he knew everything about him. And, most of all, he knew he was dead. Not that he liked that fact, but he knew it. That was just it, it _was_ a fact. With this Harry Carver, he knew nothing. He was a good dancer and had taken his mother to prom. Taken her to prom... She cheated at prom. Damn his mother. Bradin did a 180 and started walking again, assuming he was headed back in the direction of his aunt's house.

So was his name Bradin Westerly or Carver? Or did that matter? Maybe this guy was lying... maybe not. Bradin's head started aching. He needed to quit thinking. He'd done nothing but think since the words, "this is your father" had come out of his aunt's mouth. This was extremely messed up. Why hadn't his mother ever told him!? And had his dad, Bob, known? Maybe he should have tried to read that stupid diary again. Maybe he never should have read it in the first place and maybe it just didn't freaking matter. What the hell was he doing??

Bradin ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He needed to sleep. He couldn't sleep if he tried and yet he knew if he fell in bed right now, he'd be out till morning. But he needed to think this all through... get a firm grip on it... if there was one.

Instead of going back to his house, he took another route and ended up on a small pier near what he knew was Erica Spalding's house, watching the ocean rock. His mother never told him... she never told him... was she _going_ to tell him or was she just going to let him go on thinking Bob was his father?? And did Bob know? He leaned his elbows on the railing and rested his head in his hands. Guess it was too late to ever find out now, wasn't it?

---

"I'm sorry, Ava... I didn't mean to stir up a bunch of trouble by coming here..." Harry Carver spoke softly. He was really wishing he _hadn't_ come right about now...

"Don't worry about it..." Ava tried to smile. "I'm sure he... he just went to a friend's house or something..."

"How old is he now?" Harry tried to make small talk. It was obvious that Bradin's aunt was nervous and worried about him. It was well after 11:00pm now and Bradin had left directly after dinner which had been about 6:00pm. His friend had called back not too long later and left a message with Ava... something about homework.

"He's 15." Ava answered.

"I see..."

"You know what... this is crazy! I'm going to find him." Ava stood up suddenly, Johnny followed suit, walking over to her and grabbing her arm. "Whoa, Ava, you're not just going off on a whim... let's try calling some of his friends first or something."

Ava consented. "Okay. Try Lucas while I try Jay."

"Alright." Johnny agreed. "Where _is_ Jay anyway?" he added.

"Well, he's at Erica's but you never know, Bradin might have met up with him earlier or something... you just don't know so I'm gonna try him." Ava said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Harry wanted to know.

"Um.. not yet, thanks though." Ava said. "It's not really serious... it's just, Bradin's only ever done this once before and that night was... well, it was different. He got drunk but he had a reason." She added quickly, realizing how she'd just made Bradin sound.

Harry smiled, throwing up his hands. "It's okay, I'm not making any fast judgments." Ava smiled back. So did Johnny. "Thanks, Harry." She said, before rushing off to find her phone.

---

The hours rolled by, Bradin sitting on the pier, staring into the ocean, thoughts consuming his mind, until it was after 3 in the morning. He still didn't budge. His aunt would have his head for this, he knew, but she would just have to understand. That was a shock. A shock he could have done the freak without. Without, without, without! Bradin slammed his fist into the thick wood of the pier which, of course, didn't move an inch therefor sending pain screaming up Bradin's arm. He cursed. This was ridiculous.

"Bradin?" a voice came from behind Bradin. A voice he didn't really recognize... not too good. Which meant he did. Recognize it, I mean. It was Harry Carver. He turned around slowly, his face expressionless, cold, blank, flat. "What?"

"Your um... your aunt's really worried about you. Why don't you come back for the night?" Harry said softly, walking closer to Bradin, putting out a hand in an attempt to touch Bradin's shoulder. Bradin jerked back from him, bumping into the pier as he did so. "No. Not now..." he turned away from the man. The man who was the source of this life changing event... like he hadn't been through enough of those already. Well, true, it was only one, but _that _was enough!

"Come on, Bradin... nobody's gonna hurt you." Harry grinned.

Bradin turned and frowned at him. "Hurt me? Who said anything about hurting me." He turned back towards the ocean. "They already did that." He muttered to himself.

"Uh... nobody, nobody. Forget I said that..." Harry raised an eyebrow. He was an odd kid... "But look, it's late, it's not good for you to be out here alone. Why don't you-"

"I live here, man, I know the place. It's perfectly safe here." Bradin interrupted, not even turning around.

Harry thought this was particularly rude but he kept his mouth shut. "Alright... but you never know when a stranger might show up out of nowhere and give you trouble." He countered, almost laughing.

"Please, what stranger?" Bradin asked, whirling, angry that this guy would show up, say he was his father and then act like there was nothing weird about that.

"I just showed up out of nowhere a second ago, didn't I?" Harry asked. Bradin blinked. He didn't reply. He couldn't tell if that was a joke or if the man was serious. And, if he was serious, there was something wrong with that sentence... was he implying he was somebody to be feared?

"Right..." Bradin said cautiously. "I guess that's true." He said blandly. "But you're not technically a stranger, are you?" he added, being smart aleck. "I mean, you apparently knew my mother pretty well."

Harry frowned. "That was completely out of line, young man."

"Young man?" Bradin gave him a look. "What is that-"

"Just what it sounded like. I'm serious and I'll call you whatever I want to. You are my son, you know." Harry said in a commanding tone.

Bradin flinched, the muscles in his face tightening. He already hated this man. "No, I don't know that. I don't know any such thing. I know only what my mother and _father_ told me and that was that Bob was- _is_ my father." Bradin said evenly.

"Well they lied." Harry said, annoyed. "Now come on, quit being stubborn and acting like such a child. You're 15 years old, so grow up and start acting like it."

Bradin stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me."

Bradin, again, stared. "Are you nuts-"

"Bradin, you're going to come back to your aunt's house with me and you're going to come right now."

"No, I'm not." Bradin stood his ground. Harry stepped forward and grabbed his son's arm. "You're coming.

"I'm not!" Bradin said through gritted teeth. "Let go of me, you freak!"

Harry slapped Bradin across the left cheek. "That is absolutely no way to talk to one of your parents."

Bradin was surprised to say the _least_. He jerked free of Harry's grasp and backed away, towards the shore off the pier. Harry stared at him but didn't apologize.

"What the hell was that for!?" Bradin exclaimed, angrily.

"You watch your language, young man!" Harry snapped.

Bradin breathed heavily. "Would you stop!? Would you just stop acting like you're my father because you're not." He said emotionally.

Harry walked up to him. "Look... I'm sorry." He touched Bradin's shoulder. "I'm sorry if I'm being too harsh right off the back, but I think that's the best way to be. Don't put up a front, don't beat around the bush. If you're going to be a certain way in the future, why not be that way from the first, don't you think?"

Bradin nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess... I never thought about it."

"Well... But anyway, I'm sorry for being harsh. I'll try to be stern, which is how I am, but I'll try to leave the harshness out of it, okay?"

Bradin stared. "I... um, sure. Whatever?" It sounded like a question.

"Well..." Harry dropped his hand, seeing Bradin looked uncomfortable with it there. Bradin thought this guy said "well" a lot.

"Yeah... I really don't wanna go home if you don't mind. Tell my aunt you found me, tell her I'm safe, but..." Bradin looked away.

Harry took a deep breath. "No, I really think you should come back with me."

"Come on, man, I don't want-"

"Talk to me with more respect, please." Harry said sternly.

Bradin looked surprised. "Um... okay." He said slowly. "I really don't feel like coming home."

"Well I really think you should. So, if you don't mind, come back with me now." Harry's way of speaking was strange, Bradin noticed.

"I do mind, actually." Bradin argued. "And I'm not going."

Harry put both his hands on Bradin's shoulders. "Listen to me, _young man_, I don't know what you've been allowed to get away with so far in your life but you're not getting away with it around me. I don't know if your mother or Bob didn't discipline you, but _I'm going _to. Do I make myself clear?"

Bradin jerked away from him and ran towards a house on the beach. Erica's house. He headed up the stairs to her front door two at a time, knowing Jay was probably there and would probably be annoyed with him, but he wasn't sure he cared. This man was definitely freaking him out right about now and he needed a familiar face and somebody on his side. How dare any _Harry Carver_ talk that way about his parents...

Bradin knocked on the door and looked back to see what Harry was doing. He was at the foot of the stairs. "What are you doing!?" he called up, obviously confused. Bradin ignored him.

After knocking again, Jay Robertson jerked the door open, looking quite pissed off and dressed in nothing but boxers. Seeing it was Bradin he looked shocked and a tad flustered, probably from what he was, and wasn't, wearing. "Uh... Bradin..." he blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Jay... I um.., I was on the beach and I needed somebody to talk to and figured you'd be here... I hope you don't mind?"

Jay shook his head. "Uh, no, no... it's um, it's fine. Give me a second?" he asked.

"Sure." Bradin nodded.

"Well you can come in, for gosh sake!" Erica spoke up from behind Jay, having overheard the whole thing.

"Thanks..." Bradin turned to Harry. "Bye..." he sang-spoke, before entering Erica's house and shutting the door behind him.

"Who were you just talking to?" Erica asked, puzzled.

"Some man who showed up out of nowhere today, ate dinner with us and stayed afterwards because he apparently took my mom to prom, saw a little more of her then he should have and now's he's here claiming to be my father." Bradin said in a breath, slumping down on Erica's couch.

Erica blinked at nothing. "Whoa, you do need to talk."

"Wait, what!?" Jay asked, thoroughly confused, as he stepped back into the living room.

"That man that was at the house tonight? Harry Carver?"

"Yeah..."

"He says he's my dad." Bradin said spitefully, glaring at the floor.

"Whoa- okay then..." Jay stared for a minute before motioning Erica out of the room. She got the hint and left with a smile saying, "I think I'll go fix something to eat."

"Thanks." Jay smiled back then sat down next to Bradin. "You need to talk about it, mate?"

Bradin just shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah..." the teen answered in a near-whisper. "I just want it to all go away." He stared across the room at nothing. "I mean, how is this going to effect me... my life. This man shows up here and he... he thinks he can just jump in and take hold of things that he knows absolutely nothing about. He had the nerve to tell me watch my language. Which, I mean, whatever... but coming from him. He doesn't even know me. He has no right to tell me what I can or can't do and he's acting like he's known me my whole damn life when, in reality, he knows _nothing_ about _anything_... to do with me." Bradin's voice had risen considerably and it now fell back to a low tone. "I don't like him."

Jay cleared his throat. "Um... anything else?" he was trying to lighten the mood but Bradin only became more serious.

"He can't act like my father. He's not my..." Bradin pursed his lips and took a deep breath. "I mean, he'll never be my dad."

Jay didn't quite know how, or if he was even supposed to, reply to this. So he kept his mouth shut and 5 seconds later was saved by Erica who came into the room with a platter of sandwiches, saw Bradin, set them down and sat down on Bradin's right, as Jay was on his left, then wrapped him in a hug and whispered comforting things into his ear making Jay smile slightly. "She would make such an amazing mother." Jay though, watching the way she treated and interacted with Bradin. "She _will_ make such an amazing mother." He corrected himself.

---

Harry watched as his newfound son disappeared into the beach house and the door fell shut behind him. So he was a rebellious type, huh? Well... Harry could handle that. And if the boy wouldn't behave, he could always knock him into line... Literally, if need be. Walking away from the house he went back to Ava's, reported that he had found him and that he hadn't wanted to come home and had gone to some house. Ava asked him to describe the house, which he did, only to find her breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"That's Erica's. Jay's there too... he probably just wanted to talk to someone." Ava said, quite clearly relieved he was okay and not mad he hadn't come back with Harry.

"Shouldn't he have come home?" Harry asked.

"Well, that was a bad shock to get... I'm sure he'll come home when he's ready. Until then, we just have to give him some time." Ava smiled at the man. "I have to go grab a shower before the kids wake up and I have to get them to school though, so just make yourself at home down here and I'll be back down in a little while, okay?"

"Of course, go ahead." Harry smiled and watched as Ava disappeared upstairs. After a minute, Johnny appeared in the living and sat down across from the visitor. "You found Bradin?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, that's good." Johnny, too, looked relieved.

Harry decided to try the approach of Bradin having should have come home. "Don't you think he should've come back with me?" he asked.

"Well... I mean, probably, yeah. And especially if you told him to, but it's pretty crazy to be told your father wasn't who you thought he was and isn't dead like he has been for the past year..." Johnny smiled with sympathy, "You have to look at it from his point of view. Plus, not to talk bad about Bradin in any way, but he hasn't been the most um... _obedient_ kid since he's been here. I think he's not in the greatest shape about his parents' death. This can't have helped any... I'd cut him some slack." The dark haired man smiled slightly. "Alright?"

"Sure..." Harry said, looking thoughtful. "Has he said anything about how he feels about his parents?"

"I don't think so... no. Maybe once or twice, but he doesn't talk about it." Johnny said, then excused himself, saying he had to get ready for work. Harry thought everybody got ready for the day extremely early around here only to glance at his watch and find that it was after 5 already. He must have been out quite a while looking for Bradin, he realized.

About an hour later, once everyone else was up and pretty much ready for the day's events, Bradin showed back up. He went immediately to his aunt, ignoring everyone else and Harry saw the two embracing. Ava holding him and stroking his head, Bradin staring into space as she did this. After a minute, Ava pulled back from him and asked him something seriously. Bradin nodded in reply and Ava hugged him again then sent him upstairs to get ready for school. He passed Harry on the way and stopped short. Ava walked up to the two. "Harry, Bradin has something to say..." Ava prompted, glancing at her nephew. Bradin looked up at Harry. "I'm sorry about last night. I was um... really rude. And I'm sorry." Bradin genuinely apologized. Harry nodded, accepting the apology. "You just have to understand that you came here and... you turned my whole world upside down. And you don't just get over that..."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Harry asked, trying to be friendly.

Bradin stared at him, trying not to be rude, but not doing a very good job of it. "No... My God, you come here and screw with the works and you want me to talk to you about it!?"

"You're right, I understand. We can talk on the plane." Harry said somberly.

Bradin looked down. "Rig- plane!?" his head shot back up.

"What plane?" Ava jumped in, unable to help herself at this point.

"Well, the plane... unless you wanna drive."

"Drive where- what are you talking about?!" Bradin exclaimed.

Harry looked surprised. "You're coming back to Kansas with me."

* * *

**And the room goes, "Ooohhhh...." haha What do y'all think?? Interesting chapter, no? Well, I don't know, so that's why I need YOU people to tell me! Reviews please, thanks a million, love y'all!!**

**Oh, and sorry it's kinda short! And do you guys want me to give personal shout outs at the beginning of my chapters like I do on my other story or not? Let me know, it's totally up to y'all! And thank you sooooooooooooo much, again, for the reviews!!! NINE! Eep!  
**

_Hugsssssss,  
Anna Christie_


	4. Can't Bare Losing You

**I do not own Summerland.**

**Hey there, peoples. Or one people anyway, haha. I wanna give a huge shout out and thank you to **_Jmackarla_** for reading and reviewing chapter 3! **

**This update is just for you, girl!! I hope you enjoy it and sorry if it's kinda short and jumps around a lot... I'm just trying to get to the next part, which will be next chapter, and I should fall back into my normal writing style, if you will. Haha Hope you like this chapter anyway, though! **

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_**Can't Bare Losing You**_

"Kansas?" Ava's eyebrows shot up.

Bradin would have dropped whatever he was holding... except he wasn't holding anything. "Are you nuts!? I'm not going back to Kansas!!" he exclaimed finally. And loudly.

Ava took a calmer approach. "You realize Karen left him to me."

"Well... I'll fight it then." Harry said, just as calmly. "Or at least fight for half custody."

Ava frowned. "Bradin, why don't you go get ready for school, okay, Sweetie?"

Bradin didn't look like he liked this idea much but he went anyway, staring at Harry as though he had four heads the whole way.

"Ava, you have to understand. He's my son. I want him to be with _me_..." Harry seemed genuine and Ava felt sorry for him.

"But, Harry, this is Bradin's home. He's already been through so much... you can't expect him to go through another move, can you!?" Ava exclaimed.

Harry looked down. "I want him with me... and I can't relocate to California just to save him from another move."

Ava stared. "But-"

"I'm sorry, Ava. I don't want to be the bad guy here, but I think, when it's all through, we'll see that it was the best thing for Bradin to come back to Kansas with me. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait a minute!' Ava grabbed Harry's arm as he turned around. "When are you planning on leaving?"

"It depends on whether you give me custody, at least shared, easily or whether you put up a fight." Harry said.

"Say I don't. Say I let you have _shared_ custody of him easily?" Ava asked, carefully.

"Then I go back to Kansas and get him over Winter Holidays and this coming summer." Harry said.

"And if I fight you?"

"If you fight me and lose, which you will, I get him period." Harry said. "I wouldn't fight for half... unless it's all I can get."

Ava frowned. "What do you mean I'll lose? How can you be so confident of that?"

"I've already looked into it all... I would get custody and I'd get it easily. After all, you already have two other children in your care and the judges love it when a parent only has one to take care of."

Ava stared back. He was serious. "You can't do that to all of us! I will fight you and I'll fight you damn good. And I will win." She countered, scarcely able to keep the anger out of her voice.

"If that's the way you want it done." Harry said simply.

"It is." Ava almost growled. "Now get out of my home." She commanded. Harry smiled smugly. "Sure thing... Sure thing, Ms. Gregory."

---

"How dare he!?" Ava yelled at Johnny. Johnny winced. "Whoa, Ava, I'm right here. No need to put my ears out, you know..."

Ava ran a hand through her hair, distressed and angry. "I'm sorry, Johnny... But I'm just pissed off!!"

"I can see that." Johnny gave a half smile.

"I'm serious!!" Ava exclaimed. "How can he just come here and say he's going to take Bradin away from us... from me." She added quietly, her voice emotional. Johnny stood up from where he was sitting at the kitchen table and embraced Ava. "I know... it'll be alright, though, we'll give him the court battle of his life and we'll win."

"If only Bradin was already 16... he would get the choice if the judge found us both to be fit homes."

"I know..."

At this moment Jay Robertson burst through the back door, Bradin at his heels. It was already 5:30 in the afternoon and Bradin had apparently gone to Jay's shop after school and now the two had come home together.

"Somebody wanna explain what that idiot is talking about!?" Jay exclaimed.

"What idiot?" Johnny asked, pulling away from Ava before anyone could question why they were in a hug.

"That Harry Carter or whoever he is!"

"Carver..." Johnny tried not to laugh.

"Whatever, mate. He came by the shop and gave Bradin some story about going back to Kansas..."

Ava glanced at Johnny, Johnny glanced back and the two sighed. "He's fighting me for custody." Ava said lowly. Bradin looked crestfallen. "And what are the chances he'll get it??" Jay asked.

"Pretty good, I'm afraid."

"Why don't you just give him shared custody, Ava?" Johnny spoke up. "At least then Bradin could be here during the school year..."

"I guess I could..."

"Uh... " Bradin spoke up. Everyone turned to face him. "What is it, honey?" Ava asked.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen if the way he was talking about you is anything to go by."

"What do you mean?" Ava frowned, puzzled.

Bradin sighed. "He said he didn't want to have any more dealings with you unless it was in court."

Ava looked frustrated. "I shouldn't have flown off the handle the way I did... Oh, why am I so stupid!?"

"You're not stupid, honey..." Susannah said, entering the kitchen. "Now what happened?"

The whole thing was explained to Susannah who, when the tale had been finished, shook her head in an attempt to absorb everything she'd just been told. "Okay... wow."

"Yeah..." Jay said quietly, getting the whole story for the first time himself.

"So what should I do?" Ava asked the air.

"I guess we fight him." Jay said, looking to everyone else. They nodded in agreement but Ava looked at Bradin. He was looking down and she got up and went over to him. "Honey," she touched his shoulder, making him look up at her, "What do _you _want us to do?"

Bradin was silent a second then spoke up firmly. "I don't want to go with him. So do whatever you have to do for that not to happen, okay?"

"Okay." Ava smiled, hugging him quickly. "We can do that."

---

A month passed. A month that consisted of everyday normal life along with some not so everyday normal life things. Those included a paternity test, positive, Bradin cussed out his wall when his aunt told him, a meeting with attorneys, they finally picked one who promised to do everything in her power to keep Bradin with his family, and a court date being set, October 12th. It was the 3rd.

"Aunt Ava, I just don't even wanna deal with this..." Bradin complained to his aunt one night after dinner while she washed the dishes and he dried them.

"I know, sweetheart, but I don't know what else to do. Life doesn't always serve you everything on a silver platter and sometimes, when it doesn't, you have to shine the thing yourself. And shining silver's not exactly fun but it looks good when you're finished." Ava said.

Bradin looked at her with raised eyebrows then back to what he was doing. "Okay..."

"Bad metaphor maybe, but you get what I mean, right?"

Bradin nodded. "Why didn't Mom ever tell me though? Or you? Why didn't she at least tell you?"

"I think she wanted to keep it secret..."

"Aunt Ava..." Bradin spoke quietly, making Ava look at him. "Yes?"

"Do you think my dad knew?"

Ava thought about this while she washed a stainless steel skillet. "I honestly don't know, honey... and I don't have a guess because I have no clues."

"Except that diary incident." Bradin mumbled.

"Yeah... in which case, since he was so adamant about you not looking through it, he might _have_ known. But I can't be certain of anything... And why she didn't tell me, I don't know."

"You must have some idea though?" Bradin asked.

"Well... Karen was the older sister... I looked up to her and I think she knew that."

"So maybe she didn't want to have done anything bad that you knew about, you mean?" Bradin asked softly.

"Yes..." Ava said slowly. "I think it was probably something like that."

Bradin was quiet the rest of the time they washed the dishes and, once they were finished, Ava couldn't help asking if he was okay.

"I was just thinking how I always looked up to her too... but, the thing is, even knowing about all this... it doesn't change the way I saw her."

"And it wouldn't have changed the way I saw her either..." Ava smiled. "It's hard for people to see that though... I think they feel like if they're not perfect, they're not worthy of any kind of respect from other people."

"Maybe that's because they don't respect themselves anymore..." Bradin said thoughtfully, leaving the room and Ava smiling, thinking he was probably right.

---

"So... wait a second, Mom had an affair with him and had Bradin!?" Nikki exclaimed, wide eyed. Ava had just told her about Harry being Bradin's real father.

"That's right, sweetie..." Ava said softly.

"Wow... Oh, my God, though, he's not taking Bradin away, is he!?" Nikki asked, worriedly.

"He's fighting for custody but I've got a good lawyer, honey... Bradin's not going anywhere if we can help it!" Ava replied, determination in her voice. Nikki nodded slowly. "I don't want him to leave..." she added quietly. "I mean, you know... with everything that happened... well, I need Bradin here. I love him, Aunt Ava."

Ava hugged the 12-year-old close. "I know you do, sweetie, I know you do... And so do I."

---

"No... your mother was married one time before she married your father. And she had Bradin then, sweetheart." Ava and Johnny were trying to explain to Derrick who Harry Carver was. The court date was the following day and Derrick had been asking a lot of questions so they figured they _had _to tell him something.

"Oh." Derrick smiled. "I get it... so Bradin has another Daddy?"

"That's right." Ava nodded, smiling. It was the easiest thing to tell Derrick being as how he was only 9.

"Okay... Hey, Aunt Ava, can I have a Popsicle??" Derrick asked hopefully. Ava smiled. "Sure!" she ruffled his hair. "You little rascal."

---

"I'm sick of this..." Ava whispered to Johnny one day as they sat in yet another court session. It seemed like this battle had been going on for years when, in reality, it had only been 5 weeks. Five torturous weeks in which Harry Carver got a little closer to having custody of Bradin at every session. Ava was sick every time because Harry would smile smugly over at her and Johnny at the end of court, indicating that he'd had been right and that he was going to win. This was the deciding battle today and Ava gritted her teeth and held Johnny's hand too tightly in hers.

"All rise." The plaintiff spoke in a commanding tone as the judge came out of his office. Everyone in the court room stood to their feet respectfully. Judge McGregor took his seat and everyone else sat back down. Ava, Johnny, their lawyer and Harry and his lawyer all rose again when the judge told them too. Ava waited with her breath held. He could _not_ give Bradin to Harry... he just couldn't.

He spoke legally, droning... Ava found that her heart was racing. And then it stopped. What had he just said!? He couldn't have!! He wouldn't have... How _dare_ he??? Harry walked up to the two and shook hands with them though Johnny, particularly, wanted to twist the man's wrist. Ava was just worn out. And now it was over... Harry had custody and Bradin was going away. And Ava had to face Nikki and Derrick... and Bradin.

---

_Bang!!_

The front door slammed shut, making a loud noise and sending a wind current through the house. Ava sat on the couch with Johnny, her head in her hands. They had just told Nikki, who had screeched angrily and run out the front door... thus the slamming.

Johnny rubbed a hand over his house mate's back. "Shh... it's gonna be alright, Ava..."

"I was supposed to take care of him... Johnny, Karen left him to _me_. To _my _care! He was- _is_ **my** responsibility."

"She also never told you who his father was. You couldn't have seen this coming!" Johnny comforted Ava.

"But I-"

"No, you couldn't have seen it coming. It's not your fault. And it's not your fault Harry got angry with you and wouldn't accept shared custody anymore and fought you for custody of Bradin. And I don't want you feeling guilty, alright?" Johnny said firmly, "We're not finished, Ava, we'll fight that man till Bradin's 18th birthday if we have to, but we will get him back."

Ava looked up. She kissed Johnny on the lips and stood up quickly. "Thank you, Johnny."

"Uh... yeah... You're um, you're welcome." Johnny coughed. Ava smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

He'd have to comfort her more often...

---

Bradin Westerly lay in the sand on the beach outside Jay's surf shop _Beyond The Blue_. He wanted the earth to open up and suck him in... at least then he wouldn't have to leave his family and go back to Kansas with a man he didn't even know who just so happened to be his father.

The sun beat down on him, his eyes shut against it's blinding brightness. He thought about Kansas... dry, cold, snowy winters... which is what season it would be when he got there next week. Harry had agreed to letting Bradin stay with his aunt until Friday when they were going to leave. Bradin was grateful Harry hadn't made him come stay in the hotel he was staying at, but he was angry that the man was taking him away. He didn't want to leave California... it was home. It was all he knew anymore and he did _not _want to go back to Kansas... it would be stifling to be there again. Sure, he had agreed to go to his aunt Grace's for Christmas but that would have been different. That would have been with his aunt and siblings and his other aunt and uncle would have been there and it would have all just been different. Much different. And he could have dealt with that because they were only going to be there a week. But this was different... He was going back, presumably, for good. Indefinitely. Forever. Or at least until he was 18. DAMN HIS MOTH- no... he wouldn't even think that. Why did she have to go and do that though!? Then again, had she not slept with Harry, he wouldn't even exist... whatever though... then he wouldn't know the difference. It wouldn't have mattered. This way everything was screwed the hell up. Big time. He wasn't even sure who he was anymore. He looked in the mirror every morning and was sure he saw Bradin Westerly... but was that who he was? Was that even his last name anymore? Probably not... then again, Harry had won _custody_... but what did that mean? Did his name change too? Did he even freaking care!?

The sun was suddenly blotted out and Bradin jerked his eyes open. Jay Robertson stood over him. He sat up.

"Hey there, mate... um... was wondering if you were going to catch a few waves before you left?" Jay was making small talk, trying to avoid the inevitable goodbye conversation and both he and Bradin both knew it. Bradin didn't attempt to confront him about this. He shrugged, looking out at the ocean where other surfers were riding the powerful waves of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Jay sat down beside Bradin. "I guess I um... I ought to say goodbye to you know, huh?"

Bradin glanced at him. "Why?"

"Well, uh, I mean... you're leaving Friday... I mean, tomorrow..." Jay's voice trailed off.

Bradin started to say something but decided against it and remained silent.

The two sat in silence for about 15 minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. "I'll miss it here." Bradin finally spoke up, still watching the tide.

"I'll miss _you _here..." Jay said, being sentimental for a minute.

"I'll miss you too." Bradin admitted. "But I mean, I'll miss everything. I had made a good friend here and everything... plus there was this girl..."

Jay laughed. Bradin and girls.

"Well, forget her, I'm still serious!" Bradin laughed back.

"I know you are..." Jay said sympathetically.

"I mean, the surfing, my friends, the heat, no ice that you have to go out and scrape off of your windshield, or your mother's windshield, at 5 in the morning so you can go to a school you don't wanna go to anyway... And besides, do you know how boring it is to have to stay home from school due to snow when you're the only one home?" Bradin was slowly getting around to outright saying what was the heaviest thing on his heart right then.

"You'll miss them the most, won't you, Brae?" Jay asked softly.

"Missing them isn't a strong enough way of putting that..." Bradin swallowed. "I mean, God, those are my siblings. I'm supposed to take care of them. I'm supposed to be there for them... It's gonna kill me, Jay!" he exclaimed, turning to face the man he'd gotten to be very good friends with over the past year.

Jay nodded. "I know..."

"I'm leaving you to take my place..." Bradin said quietly. Jay clapped Bradin on the shoulder. "I will."

"Thanks..."

Jay nodded, standing up. "Dinner's probably about ready... are you coming?"

"I'll catch up with you... I had something else to do before I... go." Bradin looked down. "If that's okay?" he added, looking back up.

"Sure, yeah, that's fine. I'll see you in a little while."

"Alright, see you..." Bradin watched as Jay trudged off towards home- his aunt's house. He wasn't sure where home was anymore... or if he even had one.

* * *

**Another chapter complete! Ah, the feeling, haha. Review pleasssssssssseeeeee and THANK YOU!!!!**

_Hugs,  
Anna Christie_


	5. It's Always Something

**I do not own Summerland.**

**First off, I'd like to say a big, whopping sorry to everybody who was reading this and I quit writing for... so long. But here's the next chapter, and I'm gonna be updating way more often from now on! So, if you're still reading, thank you so much and enjoy the story!!  
**

**And a big shout out to my reviewers **_JessesInMyVeins_**, **_JmacKarla _**and **_froggy2045_**. You guys make me smile with your awesome reviews, enjoy the update!!**

**Becca**, haha, calm down. Give Harry a chance... ;)

**Karle**, you're absolutely welcome! Hugs!

**JesseInMyVeins**, I sent you a review reply, hope it gets through! :)

**Here we go...**

**

* * *

Chapter Four**

_**It's Always Something**_

The plane touched down with a screech, its wheels burning the pavement as it slowly came to a stop.

Bradin glanced to his left at the man who had conceived him. Harry was rubbing his eyes, just waking up from the flight. He glanced at Bradin and smiled. Bradin tried to smile back but failed. He looked away.

Stepping out of the plane Bradin was met with the harsh October wind of Kansas. It chilled him instantly and he wished desperately that he was laying in he sun on the beach outside his aunt's house instead of walking down the steps from a plane that had just taken him away from the only family he had left with a man who said he was his father. Biologically it was true, but Bradin just couldn't accept it.

Reaching the ground, Harry at his heels, Bradin zipped up the jacket he was wearing and shivered inadvertently. Harry stepped in front of him, leading the way to the terminal. Bradin watched him for a second before following. He didn't seem at all fazed by the cold. And it was cold.

---

After getting all of their luggage, Bradin road shotgun in Harry's red Chevy pickup truck. It was an older truck, the early 80's most likely, and worn. The seats were torn up and the engine didn't sound the greatest. Bradin wondered if it would even make it to Harry's house.

Harry seemed to read his thoughts and chuckled. "Sorry about the truck. My BMW's in the shop."

Bradin nodded. "Oh."

He stared out the window as the scenery blurred past in streaks. He recognized this country... he hated it.

"_But, Bradin.."_

"_Nikki, please. Do you think this is any easier for me?! God, I can't take this!" Bradin slammed his fist into the wall making Nikki jump slightly. She sat on his bed and stared at him._

_Bradin turned to her, his eyes weary. "What?"_

"_Nothing. I love you, Bradin." Nikki stood abruptly and left his room before he could reply._

That had been the final conversation he and his sister had had before he left. He missed her already. Damn it. He wondered what his family was doing right now... Of course, being as how it was only 4:50 in the morning, he figured they were sleeping.

"So what grade are you in?" Harry asked, interrupting Bradin's thoughts.

"10th."

"Do you make good grades?"

Bradin scowled to himself. What did any of this matter!? "Yeah..."

"That's good." Harry nodded approval.

Bradin glanced at him then back out his window. Really, what did any of that matter right now?! His world was spinning out of control and Harry wanted to know if he made _good grades_?!? What the hell?

Harry took a sudden left turn directly off the main road and down a fairly long driveway, coming to a stop in front of an old but well taken care of farm house that was missing its farm. Bradin winced as he looked at it. He could've sworn they were back in Hogarth and that his mother would come running out the door to meet him, smile and say she'd missed him. He'd fight her off mumbling "Mom.." but secretly want her to just keep holding him.

"Bradin?"

Bradin jerked back to reality. Harry was standing outside of the truck.

"You coming?" Harry asked, slightly amused looking.

"Yeah.." Bradin opened the passenger door and stepped to the ground, getting two of his suitcases out of the bed of the truck and following his father up to the house.

After fumbling with the lock for a minute, Harry pushed the front door open and led Bradin inside the house. "Home sweet home." He commented.

Bradin looked around the living room. He felt sick. Funny how geographic location effects decor. This place looked and felt just like his old house... The one he lived at when his mother and father- Bob were still alive.

"So what'cha' think?" Harry asked.

Bradin shrugged. He couldn't bring himself to speak just yet... he still felt sick. He sat down on the couch and stared at the floor.

Harry seemed to notice Bradin's odd mood and sat down beside him. "Look... I know moving here isn't going to be the easiest thing in the world for you but I'd appreciate it if you'd at least try to make it work."

Bradin jerked his head up. "Do you think I'm not fucking trying!?"

Harry pulled back and gave Bradin a stern look. "You will watch your language in this house, do I make myself clear?"

Bradin set his jaw. "So let's go outside." He couldn't help it. This was disgusting.

Harry frowned and, in a flash, his hand had met Bradin's left cheek, forcing his head to the right. Bradin looked at his new "father". His cheek stung violently and he realized he was close to literally being sick.

"You will not speak to me that way. Do you understand me?" Harry asked.

Bradin couldn't reply. His stomach had knotted into one big ball and he felt tears behind his eyes. He nodded.

"What?" Harry pressed.

"Yes, sir." Bradin mumbled.

Harry stood up. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

Bradin stood up slowly and followed Harry up the stairs, both of them carrying two suitcases. He wanted to run out the front door and never look back... but he knew that'd get him nowhere real fast.

"_Don't you even understand?" Bradin asked desperately. He was talking to his new father on the front porch of his aunt's house the day before he had left California._

"_I do understand. But, Bradin, you need to be with me and I can't just drop everything and move down here right now. Probably not ever... But you can visit over Christmas, okay?" Harry said softly but firmly, indicating that this was the end of the discussion._

_Bradin swallowed and didn't answer._

_  
Harry patted Bradin's shoulder and stood up. "I'll see you in the morning."_

Bradin watched the man walk down the steps and over to his rented car. He watched him get in and shut the door, starting the engine at the same time. "No, you don't." Bradin spoke to the air as Harry's car backed up and disappeared down the road. "You don't understand."

It had been 5 hours since Bradin had first stepped foot on Kansas soil. It was 10 in the morning, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the state was just like Bradin remembered it to be. Bland. Well, at least the farm country was... Or maybe it wasn't really and he was just making himself think it was because, to him, Kansas would always leave a bad taste in his mouth. This had been where he lost his parents and, in turn, lost everything else he knew only to find it again in California and lose it once more when he came back. He. Hated. Kansas.

Bradin fell back on the bed in his new room and screwed his eyes shut. This officially sucked.

There was a knock on his door and Harry entered just as Bradin sat up. "Bradin, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Bradin figured that wasn't really a question so he nodded. Harry came fully into the room and sat down beside Bradin.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I can fly off the handle a little too fast sometimes and I'm sorry for that. I'm working on it."

Bradin was surprised Harry was apologizing. He didn't know if he was supposed to reply or not so he kept his mouth shut.

"Can you forgive me for that?"

Bradin didn't answer for a second. "Uh.. yeah... I guess so."

"If you can't, then you can't, but if you can I'd appreciate knowing you have." Harry said.

Bradin looked at him. "Okay, I can."

"Do you?"

Bradin gave him a look. Harry cracked a smile and ruffled Bradin's hair. "I'm kidding. Thank you, though."

Bradin nodded.

"Now, I have a request of you."

"Shoot." Bradin said, looking at the man who was his father.

"I would genuinely appreciate it if you would abide by a few simple rules in my house."

"Okay...?"

"I'd like it if you would watch your language and treat me with the respect deserved as the adult in this household. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, sir." Bradin bit his bottom lip.

"Thank you, son." Harry smiled.

"I'm sorry for saying that earlier... it's just... really hard for me." Bradin looked at the floor. "You know, having my parents die and having to move over that... Then, just when the dust was starting to settle, I find out my dad wasn't really my dad and have to move again... and just..."

Bradin was completely surprised to find that Harry pulled him to his side in a hug. "I know. I'm sorry your aunt and I got into the custody battle that we did... I guess that was sort of me flying off the handle again... But I really wanted you here with me. Throughout the years I've wished I could have had you live with me, or at least have been a part of your life." Harry released Bradin at this point and turned him by the shoulders. "I do love you. You know that, right?"

Bradin shrugged, confused by everything enough as it was.

"Well I do. I want you to know that I do love you. I always have, but I just couldn't do anything. I had promised Karen that I wouldn't disrupt her family... but, when she died, well..." Harry dropped his hands from Bradin's shoulders and looked away. "Can we make this work?" he asked, looking back.

"I guess so." Bradin smiled slightly. The first time since he left California.

"Good. Hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Come on, we'll walk down to Andy's, that's where my car is, and then go to lunch. How's that sound?"

"Sounds fine." Bradin stood up and followed his father out of the room, the door falling shut behind him. Maybe things wouldn't be that bad after all... and he had a father again, something he really missed after Bob died.

Or so he thought.

---

"So what did you say your name was?"

Bradin glanced to his right. A pretty brunette had just sat down beside him and was now smiling widely, revealing perfectly white teeth held straight by braces. Bradin scooted away from her slightly and turned the volume up on his iPod. He was sitting in the courtyard of the local high school trying to get through another day of being in Kansas away from the people he really loved. Harry was fine... but he wasn't family to Bradin. At least not yet and he missed his siblings something awful.

"Whoa, un-social much?" the girl laughed but didn't move away from Bradin. The two were sitting on the short brick wall that surrounded the eating area outside of their school's cafeteria.

"Haley, Mike!" the girl waved over two of her friends who seemed to just be wandering around the courtyard, apparently not planning on eating lunch that day. They grinned and hurried over to the two teenagers.

"Hey, Francis!" the guy, apparently named "Mike" said with obvious sarcasm in his voice.

"FRAN." The brunette beside Bradin frowned.

"So, _Fran_, who's your friend?"

"I don't know!" Fran laughed. "Haley, you try him, I already asked for his name."

"If I know you, Fran, you came up and acted like you'd known him for years." Haley rolled her eyes. "Hi, I'm Haley. You're new here, aren't you?"

Bradin stared at the girl, her hand extended towards him. He looked back away.

Fran looked at Haley and Haley looked at Fran. Mike looked between the two and laughed. "Why don't you guys leave him alone? He's obviously some loser who's too upset about moving away from his latest girl toy to notice you two. I mean, look at him, he's almost crying!" he said loudly.

Bradin jerked the earphones out of his ears and glared at the guy standing not five feet from him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"Nothing, man, chill. I was just trying to get you to open your mouth." Mike laughed and shook his head. "I have a bad attitude. Shrink told me so. I'm Michael, call me Mike."

Bradin stared a second more before looking back away from the little group that had, for some unfortunate reason, gathered around him and was now trying desperately to get his name out of him.

"Aw, come on, what else can we do?! What's your name? Are you new here? What grade are you in? You know, all that sort of stuff."

"You guys first." Bradin smirked.

"Okay... I'm Mike, like I said, I'm 17, in the 10th grade cause I failed first grade and last year when I tried to kill myself." Mike grinned, satisfied with the look of surprise that crossed Bradin's face. "True story, man." he laughed.

Haley rolled her eyes and jumped in. "Haley. 16. 11th. I hate chocolate."

"Except when she's PMSing, then you better not deny her of her chocolate." Mike cut in.

"Shut up, asshole." Haley glared, throwing her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder.

"Oooh... I struck a nerve." Mike smirked.

"Okay, kids, enough!" the brunette spoke up. She turned to Bradin, "Ignore them. Anyway, I'm Fran Wilkerson, I'm 15, in the 10th grade and I'm allergic to mathematics. Ask anyone."

"Okay..." Bradin gave her a look.

"I am!"

"She starts sneezing every time there's a pop quiz. I'm not lying." Haley spoke up, a serious look on her face.

"Wow." Bradin said flatly.

"Yeah... anyway, your turn!" Fran smiled.

"Maybe I don't wanna share anything about myself. Go with what Mike said, it works." Bradin said, being smart aleck. "Bye..." With that, he slid off the wall and walked back inside the school building.

"Okay... what was that?" Mike asked after a minute of the three of them just staring in surprise.

"A jerk." Haley decided, putting a piece of gum into her mouth and popping a bubble.

"I don't know... but I'm not stopping till I figure out what his deal is." Fran said quietly.

"Uh oh, here she goes again!" Haley rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mikey, dear, we've got study hall..."

"I'm skipping. Meet me down at the creek when you guys are out, okay?"

"What do you do down there for three hours everyday?! Screw yourself?"

"Ha, ha, very funny. Francis knows what I do down there." Mike winked. "Anyway, I'll catch you guys later!" he waved a hand and disappeared into the school yard, making his way to his car while nobody was paying attention to anything before the next bell rang.

"What _does_ he do down there anyway?" Haley asked, turning to Fran.

Fran shrugged. "I don't know..." she lied. She did know and she wished so bad he'd let her come and observe, but he never would. "But anyway, I've gotta run to my locker, I'll see you at 2!"

"Okay." Haley and Fran parted ways and Fran waited until she was sure her friend wasn't looking anymore, then went the way the new boy had gone. She had to figure him out...

---

Fran Wilkerson had just finished her second to last period when she finally caught sight of the new boy again. He was so mysterious to her... He'd been here about 2 weeks by her count and still hadn't made one single friend. Not for lack of people trying, that is. She'd seen several people try talking to him before the incident in the court yard earlier that day. But he always shrugged them off and they left him alone. What was his deal?? Moving couldn't be that big of a deal... could it? There had to be more to it then that. There just _had _to be. And she wasn't going to stop until she figured out what that was! "Whoa!!" Fran ducked quickly to avoid being hit in the face with an opening locker. She hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking.

The boy behind the locker apologized. "Whoa, sorry, you okay-" he stopped short, his blonde hair falling slightly into his eyes as he frowned.

Fran cracked a smile. "Hey, No Name!" she grinned.

Bradin frowned even more and rolled his eyes. "You alright?"

"Fine. Hit me with your locker any day, baby." She flirted shamelessly.

"Right..." Bradin turned to his locker and went back to what he was doing. Fran stood behind him and stared over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Bradin turned to face her.

"You're excused." Fran smirked.

Bradin stared at her. "Nice." He said finally. Turning back to his locker and snatching a science book out he slammed it shut and, putting the book under his left arm, jammed his earphones into his ears and walked away from Fran.

Fran walked beside him. "So whatcha' listenin' to?"

Bradin glanced sideways at Fran. "What is your deal?" he asked.

"My deal?" Fran shrugged. "Marijuana. If you keep it quiet, I can get you the-"

"Shut up."

Fran was taken aback. Sure, she was being obnoxious, but nobody had ever had the nerve to outright tell her to shut up before. She smiled. "Will do. But you never answered me."

"Answered you what?"

"What are you listening to?"

Bradin stopped walking and turned to face her. "Why are you walking with me?"

"I have science in your same class."

Bradin raised one eyebrow. "Great." He said, being smart aleck.

"Yep!"

"So I guess you're not going to happen to leave me alone any time soon, huh?"

"Doubtful."

"Phil Collins."

"What?"

"You asked what I was listening to. Phil Collins, I'm listening to Phil Collins." Bradin clarified.

"Oohh, yeah. That. Cool, what song?" Fran asked as the two started walking again.

"In The Air Tonight... You listen to him?"

"Are you kidding!? He freakin' rules."

"Cool." Bradin smiled slightly.

"Ah ha! You can smile." Fran accused.

Bradin rolled his eyes.

"So, what's your name again?"

"I never told you." Bradin smirked.

"You didn't? Well, that would explain why I don't know it, wouldn't it?" Fran went on, unfazed.

"You're something else, you know that?"

"I've been told I'm pretty good, yeah." Fran said suggestively.

Bradin shook his head. "Bradin."

Fran grinned. "Don't think that'll get you anything though."

Bradin stopped walking but Fran kept going. He watched her as she disappeared into their next class. She had a cute butt, he decided, before shaking his head, turning off his iPod and slipping it into his pocket. He entered the classroom and took his seat right behind Fran. She watched him with her eyes as he did so. He was so incredibly good looking. Sigh.

---

"So how are you liking school here, son?" Harry asked Bradin over dinner that night.

Bradin shrugged slightly. "It's school?"

Harry laughed. "Have you made any friends?"

Again Bradin shrugged. "Maybe one... I don't know, we just started talking today."

"I see. Is it a girl?" Harry guessed.

Bradin rolled his eyes. "I don't like her like that..."

Harry just grinned making Bradin groan and look annoyed. "We'll see..." Harry said.

"Whatever... but I was wondering if you knew anything about algebra?"

"Ooh... not much, sorry." Harry made a face, indicating he was definitely not the one to ask about that subject.

"Aw, man..."

"I mean, I can take a look... but I doubt if I'll be of much help." Harry said. "Sorry..."

Bradin shrugged. "Nah, I'll figure it out, thanks though."

"Sure, anything you need."

"I'll help you with the dishes." Bradin offered, standing up from the table.

"No, you go ahead, you've got homework."

"Are you sure-"

"Yeah, go ahead." Harry smiled. "If I had algebra I wouldn't be doing anything else until I had finished it. But maybe that's just because I'm no good at it." He laughed. "Either way, you go ahead. There's not much here, take out doesn't make too much of a mess.

Bradin grinned. "You can't cook at all, can you?" he asked. Out of the 17 days Bradin had been living with Harry, they had only eaten a home cooked meal once. And that was Hamburger Helper.

Harry frowned. "Go."

---

Another week passed and Bradin was finally starting to actually like Harry Carver. He still couldn't accept him as his father... but he could live with him. Maybe think of him as an uncle... he just wished it didn't mean having to live in Kansas away from his sister and brother and aunt. And Jay and Johnny and Susannah and everyone else he knew back in Playa Linda...

"Yo, Bradin!" Bradin glanced up to see Fran Wilkerson running up to him. He was sitting outside of his high school waiting for Harry to pick him up. Normally he took the bus but Harry had told him to wait today, that he was getting off of work early and wanted to take Bradin somewhere. But it was already 4:15 and Bradin was one of only 3 other students still waiting to go home. Fran excluded because she'd been in the school library working on a book report since 2:30 when they were dismissed.

"Why are you still here?" Fran asked, sitting down beside Bradin on the sidewalk and dropping her book bag at her feet.

"Waiting on my ride."

"I thought you took the bus?"

"I do. But I was riding with somebody today, problem?"

"No problem." Fran smoothed out her skirt and picked at a hangnail.

In the less than two weeks that Fran and Bradin had been friends, they had already come to know when to drop things with each other. So far it had worked pretty well.

"So who's picking you up?"

Bradin didn't answer.

"Whoa, okay... the CIA?"

"Fran..."

"Sorry, sorry. Is it a drug deal?" Fran teased. She couldn't help herself. For one thing, she was a jester beyond the limits of what was healthy for her. And for another thing, she was nosey as all get out.

Bradin looked at her. "Marijuana. If you keep it quiet, I can get you-"

"Okay, smart ass, I get it." Fran rolled her eyes. "Blow off your ride, come by my place and my brother can drive you home, huh? My mom and dad are throwing this block party and I'm gonna be bored to death cause there are _zero_ kids my age on my block. Or in my whole freakin' neighborhood, for that matter." She stood up. "Come?"

"I don't know..."

A black Volkswagen Beetle pulled up to the curb, Aerosmith blasting from the speakers. A teenage boy, obviously older then Bradin and Fran was driving. He looked strikingly like Fran and Bradin realized this must be the brother she was talking about.

"Hey, come on, are you gonna get in or are you gonna run me outa' gas flapping your lips!? Let's _go_, **Francis**." The driver exclaimed, lazily taking a drag of the cigarette that hung halfway out of his mouth.

The guy must have been about 19, Bradin decided. He was paler than his sister, but it was more of a drug pale. He wasn't the most masculine guy in the world, but he wasn't too thin either. He had shaggy, black hair that fell across his forehead and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of copper tinted sunglasses.

Bradin thought about Fran... she had the same dark hair, though not quite so jet black, and the same skin tone, but tanner. She also had the air about her. Frisky, wild, liable to do anything, but you never knew what or when, and very impatient.

Fran rolled her eyes. "Come on!" she said to Bradin, before pulling him to his feet and climbing into the backseat. Bradin took shotgun and had barely shut the door when Fran's brother hit the gas pedal and the car went skidding out of the school parking lot.

"So, Frank, this is Bradin. Bradin, chauffeur, Frank." Fran said, sliding sideways in the back seat and kicking her feet up on the back of the driver's seat.

"Very funny, _Francis_. I don't _have_ to drive you anywhere."

"Then why do you?"

"Cause I got nothin' better to do, why do you think!? Sheesh."

Bradin noticed that Frank had an accent... more so than Fran did, but, now hearing Frank's, Bradin also heard Fran's. It was Italian, if he wasn't mistaken.

"Are you guys Italian?"

"Pretty damn close." Frank laughed. Most people ask if we're Greek. We're French but we lived right up on the border, might as well be Italian since we lived there for 5 years too."

"Oh, cool."

"Yeah, our parents are French, which makes us French, but I was born in France and we lived there 4 years till Ma got pregnant with Francis. Then Pop got a better job and we moved to Italy where Fran was born. We lived there till she was about 5, I guess, then moved to the states in New York. Lived there 3 years then moved out here." Frank explained.

"Interesting life." Bradin commented.

"Yeah... what about you? What's your story?" Frank threw his cigarette out the window and took a sharp right, throwing everybody in the car in the opposite direction.

"Boring as hell." Bradin laughed.

"Nah... let us hear it, ours ain't all that special, either."

Bradin kept silent.

"God, did something like, scandalous happen to you?! You won't freakin' say a word about your past. Or your present, for that matter." Fran complained from the back seat.

"Let the dude be, _Francis_. You're too nosey." Frank said, glancing in his review mirror to see his sister. She scowled. "Shut up, _Franklin_."

"You ain't gotta say nothin', man, ignore her. She's damn nosey."

Bradin laughed. "I've noticed."

Fran groaned. "Can we please not talk about me?"

"This one time, Fran was about 12, we were in this fancy department store and-"

"What the HELLO? I am still here!" Fran yelled.

Frank ignored her. "And she goes up to this woman, cause she had 'overheard' her, see? And-"

**BEEP!!!!!**

"Holy shit!!" Frank swerved into the wrong lane to prevent crashing with a car that was flying down the road in the wrong lane itself. He got back in his lane and cursed the driver of the other car out, apparently forgetting about his story. Much to Fran's delight, as she took to helping Frank think up obscenities to say about the probably-already-wasted driver of the other car.

Bradin sat in silence. Why was he keeping his life story a secret anyway? He was just about to open his mouth when he remembered moving out to Playa Linda right after the accident. Almost the only thing anyone said to him when they found out his parents had died was "Oh, my God... I'm so sorry... Is there something I can do? You must be hurting terribly! Oh, I'm so sorry..." then they'd shake their heads and walk away, saddened, or maybe they were just pretending for your benefit. Either way, he didn't want that again. He kept his mouth shut and listened to the crazy brother and sister, whose lives he had somehow gotten involved in, went on cussing out bad drivers.

---

"Where the hell were you today!?" Harry roared, bursting into Bradin's bedroom. Bradin jumped inadvertently.

"I... was at a friend's house. I called your cell and left a-"

Harry stepped forward and struck Bradin across the face with enough force that it knocked the teen to the floor. Bradin laid in shock until Harry barked, "Get up and look at me when I talk to you."

He got to his feet and faced the man who called himself his father.

"Don't you ever do a thing like that again, do you understand me?" Harry said sternly, angrily.

"Like wha-"

"I looked all over town for you until, finally, I went back to your school and asked your teachers if they knew where you went after school. One of them said they saw you and a girl leave with another guy. I figured you must be with that new friend of yours... but do you know how embarrassing it was for me to have to go into your school and question all your teachers about where the hell you might be!?" Harry yelled once more and Bradin could pick up the faint scent of alcohol on the man's breath. "Now don't you ever fucking do that again. Do. You. Under-stand?"

"Okay..."

"WHAT???" Harry slapped Bradin again, same spot on his cheek, though this time not with as much force.

"Yes. Yes, sir." Bradin corrected himself, wincing. The whole left side of his face stung and he could feel the blood that had rushed to the spot.

Harry grumbled something and turned on his heel, saying over his shoulder before he shut the door, "Finish whatever homework you have and then get to sleep. It's after 10'o'clock!" the door fell shut behind him with a bang. Bradin went limp and fell on his bed, holding a hand to his cheek. Damn, it hurt... And what the hell had gotten into Harry? Was he slightly drunk? He had smelled like alcohol... Not that that was any excuse for what he had just done but maybe it was the reason. Or maybe not.

* * *

**There ya go! Enjoy and please, please review!! Thank you so much!**

_Hugs,  
Anna Christie  
_


	6. 411

**I do not own Summerland. (Wish I did though, baby!)**

**Hey again, all! I'm back with another edge-of-your-seat update. Well, it's an update anyway. Whether it'll keep you on the edge of your seat or not is quite debatable. In fact, I doubt it. So sit back, relax and read!**

**Shout outs to **_JmacKarla_**, **_Ash Riley _**and **_JessesInMyVeins_ **for reading and reviewing!!**

**Karla**, wow! You don't seem to like Harry... hmm, I wonder why? haha Well, you'll just have to endure him a while yet but we shall see what I can do about your hope of a, ahem, painful demise. And thanks, I'm glad you like Fran and Mike. I was hoping they'd go over well. haha You'll definitely be seeing more of Fran btw, being as how she can't seem to keep her nose out of other people's business. ;) Enjoy the update! (BTW, I spelled your name 'Karle' last chapter by mistake. Sorry!) Oh, and your review made me laugh out loud, thanks for that!

**Ash Riley**, And hey, you're reading! :D Makes me so happy you're still reading, haha. Good thing you saw my update! :) I'm glad you like the new characters, they're gonna be fun to write for. Really? Why, do we have the same character names often? (Hides, I know, I know. I still haven't found time to read any of your stuff... or anybody's stuff, for that matter. But one day, when I'm sitting around and thinking, "God, I'm bored." I'll remember, "Oh, yeah! Ash Riley's stories!" haha Or at least I hope I will... either way, thank YOU for reading MY stuff. You rock! (Wow, you don't like Harry either, hmm? Seems I've created quite the unpopular little chap, haven't I?)

**JessesInMyVeins**, thanks for the 'please'. Haha, here ya go, "more"! :D

**So, Harry seems to be ever so unpopular… maybe he'll change, yes? (We shall see.)**

**Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Five**

_**411**_

Nikki Westerly lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She was supposed to be doing homework but she just couldn't focus. Instead she had slipped a Daughtry CD into her stereo and was now listening only half attentively, her mind wandering to other things. Mostly her older brother. Or, rather, lack thereof. It was a little after 9pm and for some reason Nikki could not get Bradin off her mind. She got up and snatched her cell phone off of her desk, looking through her numbers. She knew her aunt was still paying for Bradin's service so that Nikki and Ava could still call him for free since he was on their plan. She also suspected that Ava didn't want to have to go through Harry Carver anytime she wanted to get in touch with Bradin.

She sat back down on her bed and stared at the phone in her hand. The number for Bradin's phone highlighted in her address book. All she had to do was hit _Send_ and she could talk to her brother who she missed so terribly. All she had to have done for the past 3 and a half weeks, actually, was to hit _Send_ and she could have talked to her brother. But she hadn't. She hadn't called him once since he'd left two Fridays before. In a few days it would be 4 weeks since she'd seen or even talked to Bradin. A length of time she couldn't remember the two of them ever having been apart for. God, God, she missed him!

She was just about to press down on the little green button when a tingle shot through her body. She stopped. What was that? She glanced around the room. Nothing unusual. She glanced at her clock as another tingle went racing through her veins making her jerk slightly. It was 9:14pm. She shut her phone and waited to see if it would happen again but it didn't. 5 minutes passed and Nikki's CD stopped, Chris Daughtry's voice echoing in her head. Her CD Changer flipped to a new album, Lindsay Lohan.

Nikki flopped backwards and opened her phone again. She couldn't face talking to Bradin just yet… she really couldn't. She hit _New Message_ and pressed a few keys before hitting _Send_. No tingle. But then, why had she thought there would be? Your body did strange things sometimes and she hadn't been getting enough sleep lately, she knew. Maybe it was just her nerves being jumpy about talking to Bradin. Either way though, she wasn't going to call him tonight. A text would do.

---

Bradin lay in bed with the lights off and the curtains drawn shut. All appearances were that he was asleep. But he was far from it, his left cheek still burning where Harry had hit him. Twice.

_Whirrrr._

Bradin's cell vibrated on his nightstand. He grabbed it, grateful for any distraction, and flipped it open, expecting a text from Fran. Since she'd dragged his number out of him she hadn't quit texting, blabbering about this or that or some plan for the two of them. She was also trying to get him to hang out with her and her two best friends, Haley and Mike, whom Bradin had met briefly that first day Fran had talked to him.

He was surprised to find, however, that the text was not from Fran but his sister, Nikki. He opened it and read the message.

_Hey, what's up?_

Bradin quickly wrote out a reply.

_Not much. It's freezing. You?_

He hit _Send_.

Nikki's reply came back a second later. It seemed strange to Bradin that the two of them had to converse this way. That they couldn't just walk down the hall and burst in the other's bedroom door.

_I'm bored. Everybody's watching a movie but I had hw. Not that I did it or anything… ;)_

Bradin laughed quietly. The last thing he wanted was for Harry to come back in his room and find him texting when was supposed to be sleeping as it had been so strongly suggested that he do.

_Yeah, same here. I mean, I was but then-_ Bradin stopped. He really couldn't finish that sentence, now, could he? He erased it and started over.

_Don't blame you. But at least ur not cold. The dude keeps the heat off until there're ice sickles hanging around the living room._

_Not fun. lol_ Nikki replied.

_Don't even laugh. It totally isn't._ Bradin sent back, though he was laughing internally just knowing Nikki was.

_So have you ever had like, your whole body just like… I dunno, it's weird. Haha like tingle?_

Bradin read the text from his sister and thought for a minute. He wasn't entirely sure what she meant. _You mean like... what?_

_I dk, it's weird, like I said. But just like… um, I dkkk! Tingle._ Nikki really didn't clarify anything with that sentence.

_Okay, um. Well, one time when you were 10 and I was with dad and u were with mom I got this weird tingling sensation shoot through my body and it kept doing it like, for a minute. And not 5 minutes later mom called telling dad to meet you and her at the hospital cause u had fallen down and broken ur ankle, remember that? _Bradin had always thought it was strange he had gotten that sensation at the same time Nikki had gotten hurt. He had always wondered about it and thought it was some sort of sibling telepathy.

_Oh, yeah! I had forgotten I ever broke my ankle! Haha strange. And you never told me that._

_Why should I have? You'd have just thought I was a freak. haha but I mean, is that what you mean? Like a sensation that's almost pain but not quite? Like you FEEL something somebody else is feeling just not real enough to believe it was? _Bradin knew he wasn't really making any sense. Unless that was what Nikki had felt she wasn't gonna get it.

_Yes, exactly. Like this feeling that was so strong it almost hurt._

_Damn._

_I know, right?_

_That's weird… did somebody get hurt?_

_Not that I know of… unless you did. Lol_

Bradin didn't reply for a full minute. Yes, he had. Had Nikki felt it?

_So do you think we have like, this telepathy or something? Cause ur not answering and that makes me think you did get hurt._ Nikki sent another text bringing Bradin out of his thoughts.

_Oh, sorry. Haha I was thinking. Yeah, we must… I mean, we might. Why? When did you feel it?_

_9:14. I know cause I looked at my clock. So 10:14 ur time, right?_

Bradin swallowed. Too weird. That was when Harry had come into his room.

_Yeah, 10:14 here. But that's weird, I didn't get hurt then._ Bradin lied. He was thankful they weren't on the phone cause Nikki would have known he was lying had she been able to hear his voice.

_Huh… oh, well. Maybe I'M the freak. Lol But I better let you sleep, it's like, quarter till 11 there now, right?_

_Yeah… but u don't have to go, Nik. I've missed you a lot._ Bradin let himself tell her the truth.

_I've missed you too… I love you, Brae._

_Love you too._

---

Bradin woke up sleepily. It was only 4:30 and already the roosters of the country were waking up. Particularly the one outside Harry's house. Bradin groaned. He had stayed up texting Nikki till after 1 last night. He did not need to be waking up at 4:30. He didn't even have to get up till 6. This was messed up.

Ten minutes passed and the rooster only kept crowing again and again. Finally, Bradin gave it up. He knew once the thing got started it didn't quit for at least at hour. And by that time, Bradin would have to get up anyway. He sighed and heard a thud in the kitchen. Apparently Harry was up already. Or, more likely, he was just now stumbling around the kitchen half asleep trying to get the coffee maker started.

Getting up and dressing quickly, Bradin went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair. He took a while to do this, though he didn't need to. He was only stalling having to face Harry. He squinted in the mirror. And damn his face looked bad. Purple bruise running down his cheekbone. That was not good. That meant Fran would ask him what happened and he'd have to either glare at her worse than usual or make up some lie.

It was 20 after 5 when Bradin finally dragged himself downstairs and into the kitchen. Harry was standing by the sink mumbling something to himself. He turned around as Bradin entered, wincing as he noticed Bradin's cheek.

"Oh, Lord. Did I do that to you!?" Harry asked, his tone almost shocked.

Bradin didn't answer this, unsure of how to do so. Was he supposed to tell the truth?

"Bradin, answer me, did I?" Harry demanded.

Again Bradin didn't answer, this time looking down at the floor.

"Was I _drunk_??!" Harry exclaimed.

"I… think so." Bradin admitted, looking up and meeting his father's eyes.

"My God… Bradin, I am so sorry!" Harry looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. Looking back at Bradin, who had taken a seat at the table, he said, "I know this girl, see, and she has this thing for me. And… well, she's alright, but I've been trying to stay away from her because she inevitably gets me to drink and I get drunk and then I start doing things without remembering or even realizing I do them. Which is not good. Because I already have tendencies to be rough sometimes… and just, well, Bradin, I'm extremely sorry I did that to you. I'm not gonna see this girl anymore, okay? And I should stop getting drunk then. Bradin, I'm so sorry. Let me see it. Did you put anything on it?" Harry flew into fatherly caring, coming over to look at Bradin's cheek.

"No, I didn't. I didn't see it till this morning." Bradin answered truthfully.

"Does it hurt?" Harry wanted to know.

Bradin shook head. "Only if you touch it. It's just a bruise." He shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing." Why was he being so nonchalant about this!? Shouldn't he be mad? Or upset or… something? Maybe it was because Harry seemed to be genuinely sorry and to have honestly not known what he was doing when he did it. But then… Harry had already slapped Bradin once before. Of course, that was a little different because it had been more of a disciplinary action because of Bradin's being a smart ass. One his own father, or rather, one that Bob hadn't refrained from using on Bradin as well on a few occasions.

"No, it's not nothing." Harry said. "I can't believe I did that to you!" He touched Bradin's cheek gingerly, making the teen wince slightly.

"It's all right…"

Harry just stared at Bradin for a minute before jerking away and saying over his shoulder. "Well, if you don't want to go to school like that, I'd understand."

Bradin considered this for a moment. It _would _be easier than having to come up with a lie for Fran. But, then again, it would also be nice to get out of the house. School was the only distraction he had from the fact that he was living in a house very reminiscent to that of his mother's. He almost sighed but stopped himself. "No, I'll go." He said.

Harry turned around, two bowls and spoons in his hand. "You sure?"

"Mhmm."

"Well, alright… but you really don't have to."

"I know, thanks." Bradin smiled slightly.

Harry nodded before picking up his paper as the two ate breakfast in silence.

Bradin washed the breakfast dishes while Harry went out to fix something on his BMW before he had to leave for work. Harry reentered the house just as Bradin was grabbing his book bag and heading out to meet the bus.

Stopping Bradin at the door, Harry put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Bradin, I'm genuinely sorry. I really am. Please know that."

"I know… It's alright, really, it's okay." Bradin said.

Harry nodded. "Okay. Have a good day."

"You too." Bradin called over his shoulder, running to meet his bus, which had already stopped at the corner. The driver hated Bradin and was going to have something to say about having to wait an extra 10 seconds for Bradin to jog the 300 feet up to the corner.

"I don't have to wait on you, you know? You might want to bare that in mind when you're dilly-dallying at your house instead of standing here at the bus stop like the other kids, young man." The driver, a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair, said in a pissed off, overly bossy tone of voice.

"Yes, sir." Bradin replied tartly, ignoring the look the driver was now giving the bruise on Bradin's cheek.

"Brae!!" Bradin turned to see Fran waving to him from the back of the bus. She liked to sit in the back and only the back and would fight anyone who was already seated their when she got on the bus. She said sitting in the back gave you an edge. Bradin wasn't sure what she meant by that but didn't press it.

Making his way to the back, Bradin slumped down in the empty seat beside Fran.

"My, God! Your face!!" Fran exclaimed.

"It's no big deal." Bradin muttered, wishing she hadn't said that quite so loud as several teens now turned around to see what Fran was yelling about.

"No big deal! Oh, my God." Fran gasped. "Are you like, crazy?"

"Fran, chill." Bradin said, looking straight at her. "I've been in fights before. It's nothing." He lied. Well, it was true he had been in fights before but it wasn't true what he was implying. Which was that the current bruise on his cheek had come from being in a fight.

"Well, God…" Fran rolled her eyes, muttering. "Definitely testosterone running through your veins."

"It doesn't run through our veins, Fran." Bradin joked. "And I should hope so. Last time I checked I was of the male sex."

"Oh, shut up." Fran grumbled.

"What's with you today?" Bradin asked, curious. For one thing, Fran usually caught a ride to school with her brother on his way to work so she could sleep till the last possible second instead of having to get up early for the bus. And for a another thing, she was never, _never_ this quiet.

"Nothing's up with me today."

"Sure."

"I'm PMSing, okay?" Fran snapped.

Bradin considered this. Could be, he hadn't known her _that_ long. But he doubted it. And besides, hadn't she said that to Haley last week as an excuse for why she didn't want to eat lunch "_Really _now?" he asked, being smart aleck.

"Damn, what's your problem!?" Fran growled. "I don't think it's any of your business if I am or not!"

"Yeah. And besides that, you're not." Bradin said, satisfied with the look on Fran's face.

Fran retorted. "What? Do you want me to strip so you-"

"Whoa… No. I just think there's something bothering you that you're not telling me. That's all, Fran. God."

"Well, what if there is? It's not like I have to tell you every little thing that goes on in my life is it??"

"You don't have to." Bradin laughed. "But you usually do."

"And you would know this why? Because you've known me for like 2 weeks now?" Fran said hotly. "And it's so totally not like I know _anything_ about you or your life. I know your first name and what grade you're in. And not because you told me what grade you were in either. I only know cause we happen to be in the same classes. But I know nothing else. Except that you apparently live on Burkley Street at the house where that dude who drives that really nice BMW through town every now and again lives. So with him, right? And, about that, I've lived here for quite a while now and I've known about him since forever and even talked to him once at the Christmas parade in town. But I've never known that the guy had a son. So I really don't know shit about you. So what makes you think you can ask me any fucking thing you want to!?" Fran raged, her voice rising.

"Shit, chill." Bradin put up a hand. "Forget it."

"Yeah, forget it. Cause like, God forbid you should have to say anything about _yourself_, right? Bastard."

Bradin had discovered that Fran was indeed a wonder. How she could say anything she wanted about anybody and get away with it, he didn't know. And, more remarkably than that, how she could say words usually used as the finality to an argument without actually walking away. She could mutter that so-and-so was a bitch in their presence then go on like they hadn't heard her.

"I-" Bradin started to argue but decided against it. It wasn't going to work anyway. He'd only known Fran 2 weeks but had already figured out that you just couldn't win a fight with her.

"That's what I thought. And here's another thing," Fran said fiercely, turning to face Bradin, "_are _you his son? Or are you like, his sex partner?"

Bradin raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me!?"

"Well how do I know? Huh?" Fran asked, a look of defiance on her face.

"You're a bitch, you know that?"

"And you're a fucking dick." By this point the bus was pulling to a stop in front of the high school. Fran stood up and jerked her backpack over her right shoulder. She marched up the aisle, a few people watching her curiously. Bradin got up and followed at a leisurely pace, not wanting to catch up with Fran.

Okay, so maybe he should have stayed home after all.

Home. Had he just thought the word 'home' in association with Harry's place? Yes, he had. And he was disgusted with it too. Could this day get any worse?

"Hey, Fucker!"

Apparently so. Bradin glanced up to see Haley Stewart, Fran's friend, marching towards him. He noted that Fran was standing some 15 feet behind her, watching.

Bradin stopped walking and waited until Haley had reached him. She stood not 3 feet away from him. "What the hell did you do to Fran!?"

"Hold up, baby, I didn't do anything to the bitch."

"Wha-"

"And why don't you ask her what she did to me? Apparently I'm some gay ass kid who lives with his sex partner."

"I-"

"So just go screw yourself and tell Fran she can do the same." Bradin brushed past Haley and walked briskly towards the school building, leaving the blonde haired teen to gape after him. Fran, however, was almost smiling, he noticed. He stopped short once he reached her. "What's your deal?" he asked sharply.

"You're alright, kid."

"Fuck you."

"Would you?" Fran smiled mischievously.

Bradin stared. "I'm gay, remember?" He said impishly.

"Oh, yeah."

"Yeah..."

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier." Fran said softly, looking down.

"Whatever." Bradin muttered and again started walking towards the school's main building.

"Bradin, wait!" Fran yelled after him, jogging to catch up with the teen. She grabbed his arm, making him stop and face her.

"What!?" he said through gritted teeth, jerking his arm away from her.

"I'm just having a hell of a bad day, okay? I'm really sorry... It's just that my brother overdosed last night and would have died if it hadn't been for our dad finding him at 2 in the morning... And I really didn't sleep but maybe, 3 hours last night because of it. Which is not good for me, like, at all. I mean, I'm a rotten person _with_ sleep, so it just magnifies it when I'm tired. And stressed and God, I don't know if he meant to do it or not!" Fran spilled out what was really on her mind.

Bradin softened. "It's alright... I guess I really haven't told you anything about me, huh?"

"No, you haven't." Fran half smiled. "But it didn't give me a right to say any of that. It really didn't."

"Nah, whatever. But, hey, I'm sorry about your brother. Is he gonna be okay?" Bradin asked.

"Yeah. He is. But I don't know... I don't know if he was _trying_ to OD or if it just happened, you know? So it freaks me out..."

"Yeah, I understand."

"I mean, I could not lose him. I really just couldn't. I love him too much but every time I've ever really tried to tell him that he just shrugs it off.." Fran frowned. "He's never been suicidal though. I mean, God, you met him! He's totally not like, emo or anything, right?"

"Doesn't seem it to me, no." Bradin agreed.

"Right, so like, the only thing that's got me worried in the first place is because one night he and I were drinking and he was laying on the couch, I was on the floor, and he goes, 'You know, Franny, I should probably take Dad's gun and put a whole in my head.' And I totally laughed my ass off. I don't even know why. I was drunk and I was just like, I don't know. Just drunk." Fran sighed. "And he freakin' starts laughing too and we end up laughing for like, 20 minutes. But I never saw his face when he said it so I don't know if he meant it or not. And I'm not sure how drunk he was. Not as bad as me cause I get drunk like, real quick." She laughed nervously. "But he can drink just about anybody under the table and still see straight. It's insane."

"So, in other words, it's very possible, probable even, that he was in his right mind when he said this. Is that what you mean?" Bradin asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, that's what I mean."

_RING!!_

"Damn. Classes."

"Want to skip?"

"Really?"

"Yeah." Bradin smiled.

"Sure, No Last Name. I'd like that." Fran grinned, making Bradin roll his eyes.

"I'll let you know." He said, before taking Fran's hand and leading her towards the student parking lot, away from the watchful eyes of teachers.

"So where're we goin'?"

"I don't know, you're the one who's lived here forever." Bradin laughed. "Where's a good place to hide from Truant Bitches?"

"It's one Truant Bitch, and he's actually a Truant Dickhead. But whatever." Fran laughed. "And I know the perfect place. Dude, Mike, skips all the freakin' time and never gets caught. Come on!"

30 minutes later, Bradin found himself walking through woods on a well-worn path.

"So where're we going again?" Bradin asked for the 2nd time since they'd hit the path.

"You'll see. It's totally gorgeous, okay? Just chill. I'm not gonna rape you."

Bradin rolled his eyes and fell into the leisurely stride Fran had taken.

"So what'd you mean by 'I'll let you know' earlier?" Fran asked.

"Huh? Oh, about my last name?"

"Yeah."

"Just what I said." Bradin said mysteriously.

"Oh, come on. You don't know how crazy that drives us females, jerk."

"Really?" Bradin side-glanced Fran, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"Oh, shut up!" Fran punched his arm. "And really, is your cheek actually okay or were you just trying to keep me quiet on the bus?"

Bradin laughed. "It's alright."

Fran still seemed unconvinced.

"Really, Fran, I'm fine." Bradin stressed. And he was fine. Now.

"Well, okay... so who'd you fight anyway?"

"It doesn't matter, just forget it, alright?" Bradin said, the slightest edge creeping into his voice. Fran took the warning and dropped the subject.

"So how do you know that guy anyway?" Fran wanted to know.

"What guy?"

"The guy you... live with, I guess?" Fran explained.

"Oh. He's my dad." Bradin said simply.

"Really?" Fran glanced at Bradin but he was looking intently ahead where a beautiful scene had met his eyes.

"It's gorgeous, right? I told you it was gorgeous."

Bradin didn't answer, he was still staring ahead at the strong moving river that lay before the two teens.

Fran looked at Bradin again. "You aquaphobic or something?"

Bradin still didn't look at Fran. "Is this the Arkansas?"

"Mhmm. A part of it not many people see." Fran said. "Like, in these woods, not many people see this place, but it's got the most beautiful flowers growing along the shore, want to see?"

Bradin nodded silently.

"Cool." Fran led the way down to the river bank and pointed out a cluster of beautiful pink and yellow flowers. Some dotted with both colors on the same petal. They were beautiful and they made Bradin want to vomit. He turned away and stared at the flowing waters.

Fran, seemingly unaware of Bradin's strange and sudden mood change, slid halfway down towards the water and picked several of the sweet smelling flowers. Gathering them together in her left hand, she climbed back up the bank and sat down beside Bradin where he still stood.

"Sit down!" Fran smiled up at him. Bradin sat down semi-robotically.

"So is it gorgeous or what?" Fran wanted to know, staring at the river and breathing deeply.

But Bradin didn't answer her. He was thinking how funny it was that two people looking at the exact same thing could see it in completely and utterly different ways.

"Bradin?" Fran looked over at him a little nervously. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What's going on?"

Instead of answer Fran, however, Bradin stood and walked towards the river until he was dangerously close to the edge of the bank. He stared down at the water. He could jump in and be able to get out if he wanted to. And if he couldn't climb back up he could probably grab hold of some of the brush that grew near the sides and hold on until someone could help him out. There was a lot of it and it was hard to miss. Either way, he wouldn't drown. He looked to his right, in the direction in which the river was flowing from. That was also the direction Hogarth County was in. He could smell the flowers subconsciously and they were nauseating.

They had died this way. And yet, _he could jump in this river and get back out alive._ How had they not? True, it had risen several feet and was rushing faster than he'd like to think about. There was a torrential downpour and probably nobody could see much. But how, still, could this river be the same one that had taken his parents lives away from them. That had taken the parents of three children who could barely make their own decisions, much less be able to take care of themselves without a mother and father.

A touch on Bradin's shoulder made him jump. He turned around to find that Fran was staring at him intently. "Are you okay?"

Bradin looked up. He had failed to notice the rain clouds that had moved in while they were walking down to the river.

"It's gonna rain." Bradin said quietly, looking back at Fran.

"Yeah..." Fran took Bradin's hands in hers. "But are you okay?"

Bradin looked down and pulled Fran close to him, resting his head on her shoulder just as a light rain began to fall. Fran wrapped her arms around Bradin's neck and held him as he wrapped his around her waist.

"What happened here, Brae?"

"My parents drowned in this river..." Bradin whispered, closing his eyes, not allowing the tears that stung the back of his eyes to escape.

"Oh, my God..." Fran hugged Bradin tighter. "But I thought you said you lived with your father?"

Bradin pulled away from her. "It's a long story."

"I've got time." Fran said softly.

"I'll make it brief. I lived with my mother and a man I thought was my father for the first 14 years of my life. Then, one night, it rained and fucking rained until the river was overflowing and my parents went to sandbag something or some shit and fucking drowned." Bradin bit his lip. "They had left us, I have a brother and sister, to our mom's sister. She lives in California so we all moved down there and I lived there for over a year till one day this guy shows up on my aunt's doorstep and says I'm his son. One paternity test and an ugly court battle later here I am. Back in Kansas with my newfound father. Who, frankly, I could do without if it meant going back to the way things were before. I mean, It was hard enough losing my parents and moving to California but now this? This is bull and I'm so sick of it..." Bradin took a deep breath and let it out. "Now I see this river again and... all I can think of is the night they died. The cops took me down to identify the bodies and it was just... so... it was..."

"Anything but gorgeous." Fran finished for him. "That's why you wouldn't answer." She added softly. "Bradin, I'm so-"

"Don't!" Bradin exclaimed.

"What?" Fran was surprised by his outburst.

"Don't say you're sorry. Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it anymore, okay?"

"I guess you got that a lot afterward?"

"A lot."

"I see. Well, in that case..." Fran pulled Bradin's face close to hers, her hands on his cheeks, her right hand careful of the bruise on his left cheek. "I'm sure nobody ever put it like this." Bradin shut his eyes as Fran kissed his lips softly, lovingly. Fran pulled back. "I am sorry."

Bradin smiled softly. "Thanks... but what was that for?"

"Originality!" Fran chirped, back to her hyper self.

"Well it was original anyway." Bradin laughed. "So we should get out of this rain, probably..."

"I know the place. Come on." Again, Fran took the lead and the two teens walked until they had reached a pond formed by runoff from the Arkansas River.

"It's great in the rain cause of the canopy of the trees." Fran explained to Bradin as the two of them sat down against the base of a large Oak.

"It's nice here..." Bradin decided. It wasn't a thing like being by the river itself. And even though the same flowers grew here the smell didn't bring back the same feelings as they did by the bank. "You know, though. It's kinda cold and we're wet and I think that usually equals phenomena."

"Yeah, you're right. But if this were like, the summer? I'd totally strip and jump in!" Fran laughed.

"Well it's not and it's cold and we should go." Bradin laughed back, standing.

"Right." Fran took the hand that Bradin offered her and let him pull her to her feet. "So where should we go? We're wet." She giggled.

"Well..."

"How 'bout we walk to your house? It's closer than mine." Fran suggested.

"Sure, I guess." Bradin shrugged. He knew Harry was at work so it should be fine if they got out of there and Bradin didn't come back until after school. Of course, he'd have changed clothes by then but would Harry notice that? Or he could just say he had gotten a headache once he got to school so he walked back home...? Damn, maybe this hadn't been such a great idea in the first place. No, wait. He could put his wet clothes in the dryer and change back into them before Harry got home. Never mind all that, Harry didn't even get off till 5:30pm. Bradin would have been home a good two hours by then. Yeah, it would work.

During Bradin's thoughts he and Fran had made it halfway back through the woods.

"God, you're freakin' right. It _is_ cold. I didn't even realize it till now!" Fran exclaimed, shivering.

"I notice it quicker." Bradin laughed.

"How come?"

"I just moved from sun-shiny, Southern Cal, remember."

"Oh, right." Fran smiled. "I knew you didn't act like you were from around here as soon as I met you."

Bradin laughed. "Actually, I'm from Hogarth."

"Hogarth County!?" Fran asked, surprised.

"Know of another one?" Bradin glanced at her.

"Nope. Wow." Fran eye's twinkled. "Wouldn't have guessed that one.

Bradin shrugged. "Not many people would."

"So what'd you do in Cal?"

"Do?"

"You know, like, hobbies or something?"

"Surfing." Bradin laughed at the surprised look on Fran's face.

"No way. You look more like, well, I don't know. More like a philosophical type or something."

"_Really_?" Bradin said, being smart aleck.

Fran rolled her eyes. "Yeah. What?"

Bradin shrugged. "Just weird, that's all."

"Come on, don't tell me you couldn't be. I mean, you listen to Phil Collins!"

"Is that evidence of a philosophical person?" Bradin laughed.

"Well, no. But like, if you listen to him you probably listen to other old rock, right? Like, I don't know, maybe the Moody Blues or Kansas or something." Fran laughed. "You're _from_ Kansas. You have to listen to them, right?"

Bradin smiled. "I've heard 'em. They're alright."

"Alright!? They're fuckin' amazing!!" Fran exclaimed.

"Maybe… But the Moody Blues? Now that's a different story."

"Ah ha! See? I knew you had at least semi-good taste in music when I first asked you what you were listening to that day. I mean, In The Air Tonight's one of the most classic rock anthems of all time!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a 'rock anthem'. That's more like, I don't know, Queen's stuff and KISS and all that shit."

"Maybe. But it's definitely a classic, right?" Fran insisted.

"Absolutely." Bradin agreed.

"Sweet. Toto?"

"They're great."

"Foreigner?"

"Too mellow."

"Cold as Ice is too mellow!?"

"Over all they're too mellow. But 'eh… so is Phil if you get right down to it."

"I guess it's just taste then." Fran said. "Who would you say the total legends are?"

"I don't know." Bradin shrugged.

"Well… Journey?"

"Definitely."

"Michael Jackson?"

"Did Thriller sell 25 mil plus _just _in the US? Bradin laughed. "Is Britney Spears the most well liked slut in the world?"

Fran laughed. "You're right, he's total legend."

By this time the two teens had reached Bradin's father's house and Bradin was unlocking the side door under the covered car-port.

"This is a really cute little house." Fran said decidedly.

"It's nice, I guess." Bradin said, pushing open the door and letting Fran enter before him.

"You don't like it?" Fran asked, turning around once inside the kitchen.

"It's alright." Bradin laughed. "My mom's place was better. So was my aunt's… Or maybe that's just cause there were actually females living there."

"Well yeah, I mean, they say there's nothing like a woman's touch and I think they're right." Fran laughed. "They sure are smart, aren't they? Whoever like, 'they' are."

Bradin smiled. "You're ridiculous."

Fran shrugged. "Good thing this floor's tiled cause we're like, totally soaking it."

"Ha, ha. It doesn't matter. Harry came in here the other night when it rained and tracked mud through the whole house."

"Really now? You guys _do_ need a woman around! Ever heard of doormats?"

"That's what I asked him." Bradin laughed. "He realized what I meant and laughed at himself. Then he cleaned it all up."

"Ah, I see. Well at least he's not like my dad." Fran giggled. "He tracks anything the house he doesn't even think about cleaning it up. Mom is _always_ cleaning up behind him."

"Nice."

"I know. I keep telling my mom I am _never_ getting married without first quizzing the guy on his consciousness of messes." Fran laughed.

"Might be a good idea, yeah." Bradin agreed with a chuckle. "Hold on though, I'll go get us some towels."

"Okay."

Bradin left the kitchen and disappeared up the stairs in the living room.

Fran looked around the house from where she stood in the kitchen. It was an open, eat-in sized kitchen, putting the living room in clear view. The kitchen was tiled with black and white, checkered linoleum tiles and off-white paint on the walls.

General items of furniture were placed in the kitchen/dining area and living room was well furnished but pretty much void of any personality. Fran figured this Harry guy must have a pretty busy schedule. Probably didn't have much time for play, just work. Hard to believe he had a son. His house just seemed so… bland. Like he was probably never home and was too tired to care even when he was.

Fran shivered. God, it was cold. She was such an idiot for staying out in the rain in late October weather.

At that moment Bradin reappeared and handed Fran a towel, taking the other one he held for himself.

"So…" Fran murmured, trying to dry out her hair. "You guys don't happen to have a hair dryer, do you?"

"In the bathroom at the end of the hall on the left." Bradin laughed. "We're not that uncivilized."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. You're _guys_. I wasn't sure." Fran rolled her eyes. "But like, my clothes are gonna need-"

"You can wear some of my shit and put yours in the dryer if you want to. If that wouldn't be too awkward for you or something." Bradin suggested.

"Awkward?" Fran smiled, a twinkle lighting her eyes. "Not at all…"

This time it was Bradin's turn to roll his eyes. "Come upstairs and we'll find something."

"Okie doke."

* * *

**There it be. But I'm pretty dissatisfied with this ending for the chapter but 'eh, it'll have to do. I'll just make sure the next one's better!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it, but either way, and as always, reviews are totally appreciated! Thanks so much!**

_Hugs,_  
Anna Christie

**PS So there seems to be a trend going around this site which is that of people titling their chapters with the names of songs. What do y'all think about that for mine? Let me know!**


	7. Bonding

**I do not own Summerland.**

**Big SORRY for not updating for a month. And an even bigger shout out to my readers, **acciodanrad9**,** JessesInMyVeins **and **Jmackarla**! You guys rock! Seriously. Thank you so much for reading and leaving reviews! :)**

**Karla**, haha Maybe you'll like Harry a bit better in this chapter? He's cleaned up his act a bit, if I do say so myself. Enjoy!! (PS I'm glad you liked the 'sex partner' joke! Lol I had a lot of fun writing that scene. And I love your reviews! They always get me excited to write because I know you're excited to read! So thank you. -huge smile-) "_PS: Remember slow, painful, lonely, worst-case scenery death to Harry (LOL!)... unless he suddenly changes... here's to hoping!_" hahaha We shall see.

**JesseInMyVeins**, thanks a million! Here's your update! (Sorry for the delay. Blame it on Writer's Block or Writer's Laziness, whichever you prefer! :P)

**acciodanrad9**, thank you soo much for reviewing each chapter as you read them! You're awesome. And I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much! Two things; First, yes, Harry is really, truly Bradin's father. Sorry. :( And second, I'm super happy you're 'hooked'! lol Oh, and whether Bradin and Fran will become a couple is, as of yet, a mystery (even to me.) just kidding. But you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Enjoy the update!!

**Now, alas, I shall shut my big mouth and let you guys read! Hope you like it!!**

**Oh, PS, I didn't get a chance to proofread this chapter as well as I would have liked to so please point out any big mistakes or anything and I'll fix them! Thanks a million, guys! You have no idea how much reading your reviews brightens my day.**

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**Chapter Six**

_**Bonding**_

Bradin and Fran spent the rest of the morning and half the afternoon watching TV and talking about various nonsense. About 4:30pm Bradin's father, Harry, arrived home. Fran noticed Bradin tense when he heard his father's footsteps in the kitchen.

"Bradin, you home yet?" he called into the living room, appearing at almost the same moment.

"Yeah." Bradin answered. "Oh, and this is my friend, Fran. Fran, this is my, uh, dad, Harry." He introduced.

Bradin was thankful that Fran had already changed back into her own clothes after having run them through the dryer. He'd hate to have to explain that one if she hadn't been.

"Hello, Fran. It's nice to meet you." Harry said heartily, coming fully into the living room and shaking Fran's hand from where she sat on the couch next to Bradin.

"Ditto!" Fran smiled.

"Hmm..." Harry stroked his chin for a second then snapped his fingers. "You're the Wilkerson girl, right?"

Fran smiled. "That's me." She chirped. "And you drive that freakin' beautiful BMW that I wanna steal, right?" she winked causing Harry to burst into laughter. "You got a license?" he asked.

Fran shook her head disgustedly. "No! Argh, I wish."

"Permit?"

"Yeah?" Fran smiled suddenly. "What are you getting at?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I just thought I might let you take it around the block since you like it so much. You _are_ the one that yelled 'I want your car, dude!' at me last Saturday, aren't you?"

Fran blushed. "Yeah..." She admitted.

Harry chuckled. "Well, since you're a friend of Bradin's, I wouldn't see the harm in letting the you give it a spin with me. If you think that'd be okay with your parents, of course." Harry added.

"Heck yeah! My mom doesn't care what I do and I'm not sure my dad even knows he has a daughter, he's so busy!" Fran laughed. "But seriously, they wouldn't mind."

"Okay then. Give me a second to change out of these dirty duds and we'll go!" Harry said with a smile before disappearing down the hall to his room.

"Wow. I've always wanted to drive that car!!"

"Always?" Bradin questioned with a laugh.

"Well, since he got it two years ago." Fran rolled her eyes slightly. "Anyway, though, how come he didn't offer you to drive?"

"I gotta get my permit." Bradin answered.

"You don't have one?"

"Sure, but it's California issued so I have to retake the stupid test here." Bradin laughed. "But whatever..."

"Oh." Fran laughed easily. Bradin could tell that she was excited about driving Harry's car. He rolled his eyes. Personally, he didn't even like the thing.

Harry reappeared at that moment and clapped his hands together. "Let's go!"

Fran jumped up, followed by Bradin and the threesome headed out the door and climbed into Harry's car with Fran at the wheel.

After a leisurely drive around the neighborhood, if you can call farmland a neighborhood, Harry instructed Fran to drop herself off at her house as it was almost 5:30pm.

Pulling to the side of the road in front of the Wilkerson's expansive farmhouse, Fran put the car in park and everyone got out.

"Thank you _so_ much for letting me drive! Fran exclaimed. "It's a dream."

Harry chuckled. "No problem. Maybe you can take it out again sometime..." he hinted with a smile. Fran grinned. "I'd love that!"

"I'm sure you would." Harry winked and took the wheel. Bradin was switching to the passenger seat but Fran pulled him into a quick hug before he could get in the car. "Thanks so much for today, Brae." She whispered.

Bradin nodded, uncomfortable that Harry was watching them. "Sure. And, Fran, he's gonna be okay, don't worry."

Fran nodded mutely. "I'll text you later, okay?"

Bradin smiled. "Okay."

"Bye!!" Fran called over her shoulder, starting the not-so-short walk up to her house.

"Later!" Bradin called after her and got in the car, shutting the door and pulling his buckle over himself and snapping it.

"She's a nice girl, Bradin." Harry smiled, pulling the car back onto the road and heading towards town.

"Yeah, she is." Bradin agreed.

"Are you two more than just friends?"

Bradin laughed. "No. Definitely not." He and Fran? That would never, ever, ever work, he knew. Of course, she _had_ kissed him and he _hadn't_ protested. He laughed at himself internally. Well, it _could_ work but it probably wouldn't.

"I see." Harry answered. "But do you like her?"

Bradin hated these kinds of questions. "Yeah, I like her." He said impishly. "Fran doesn't allow anyone _not_ to like her."

Harry glanced at him, saw his expression and hit him in the back of the head. "Oh, get out of here." He laughed, making Bradin laugh back. "Nah, not really." He answered truthfully.

"Ah." Harry winked at him and Bradin laughed again. "Whatever." He rolled his eyes.

---

Two more weeks passed and November 17th, arrived. It was about a week before Thanksgiving and the air was turning bitterly cold as winter made her way into Kansas.

"Dude, it is _so_ cold." Fran shivered and rubbed her gloved hands together in an effort to keep warm. It was Saturday morning and she and Bradin and Frank were going down to the river to spend the day doing nothing.

"We could've stayed indoors, you know." Bradin said for the 3rd time that day.

"Yes, I _know_. You've mentioned it. Like, a bunch already!" Fran pretended to be ticked off.

Bradin rolled his eyes. "Well, God, I moved here from _California_, remember? I hate the freakin' cold!!"

"But you're _from_ Kansas!!" Fran reminded him.

Bradin rolled his eyes. "But I should probably have been _from_ Cally." He laughed.

"Alright, surfer boy!" Fran took her turn at eye rolling.

"Would you kids please _stop_?" Frank pleaded, trying once again to get a signal on his cell phone. "I swear this damn thing never works!" he exclaimed, throwing it to the ground.

Fran scooped the phone up as she walked past it. "Frankie, Frankie." She chided. "Don't be so angry. It's just a stupid phone. Who're you trying to call anyway?"

Frank snatched the phone back angrily, "Never mind!" he shoved the cell into his pocket and marched ahead of the two younger teens. Fran turned questioningly to Bradin but he just shrugged, mouthing, "No clue."

Fran watched as Frank slumped under a tree near the riverbank and lit a cigarette. She and Bradin walked past him and along the bank.

"Wow, it's cold." Fran commented again, trying to make light conversation. However, her mind was really on her brother. Frank had overdosed on two weeks before and Fran still hadn't been able to get it out of him whether he'd done it on purpose or not. When she'd first asked him he'd just laughed and said, "Whoa, Francis, thinking a little darkly, aren't we?" And when she'd pressed him he'd said that of course he hadn't done it on purpose and mumbled something about having to meet a friend then walked off. Since then she hadn't really talked to him about it again but she still wasn't sure. And it scared the wits out of her not knowing if he might try it again.

"Fran?" Bradin's voice broke into the 15-year-old's thoughts. "You all right?"

"Yeah." Fran assured, forcing a smile. "You know, if we had stayed home we'd have just been bored to death."

Bradin side-glanced her. "Oh, I don't know..."

"What do you mean?" Fran asked curiously.

"Well, your parents aren't in town, right?" Bradin asked.

"Right..." Fran furrowed her brow. "So what?"

Bradin shrugged. "We could've kicked your brother out and..." he looked over his shoulder, pretending to make sure no one was listening before looking back and saying lowly, "_You know_."

"Bradin!" Fran started laughing. "Please, we could do that here."

"No way. It's too damn cold." Bradin said. "Your house would be much better."

"Why, pray tell, my house?" Fran wanted to know. Had he just said "_would_" be much better?" Not "_would've_"?

"Cause Harry's at his?" Bradin asked, being smart aleck.

"I thought he was your father? And I thought it was _your_ house too." Fran giggled.

Bradin rolled his eyes. "No." he said. Fran knew he was just joking around but something in his voice told her he really meant it.

"So, mine. And what would Frank have done to us after we stole his drugs?" Fran knew perfectly well what Bradin had meant but she couldn't resist.

"Who's talking about _drugs_!?" Bradin exclaimed in mock frustration. "I'm talking about you and me. Somewhere quiet and... _you know_." Bradin raised his eyebrows suggestively. He knew Fran knew but the joking was too fun to pass up.

"Whatever are you talking about, Bradin Westerly?" Fran asked with big eyes.

"Removal of clothing." Bradin said flatly, pretending to be annoyed that she didn't understand.

"Why would we do that, hmm?" Fran asked innocently.

"So we could get to certain things underneath." Bradin ducked out of the way as Fran went to playfully hit him in the back of the head.

"Ha!" Bradin laughed at her when she missed.

"This ain't over, pretty boy!" Fran laughed back, taking a step towards Bradin and jokingly shoving him sideways. Bradin went to side step her but lost his balance, slipped and plunged toward the frozen river below. In the next instant there was a crack and Fran's shocked scream.

---

Nikki's nerves all twitched and she flinched. It felt like somebody had just stabbed her in the kidney.

"Nikki?" Ava Gregory turned toward he niece. She, Nikki, Susannah, Jay and Erika were all seated at the kitchen table drinking hot chocolate and talking about what to do for Thanksgiving, which was in a week. The weather had finally turned cool in southern California and everyone was enjoying it.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Ava asked.

Nikki started to say that she was but another sharp almost-pain cut her off. It wasn't that it hurt very much, it really didn't. It was that there was no reason Nikki should have just felt anything. She thought of the time almost a month ago when she'd felt something very similar and had talked to Bradin later that night only to learn that he had felt something like that once when Nikki had broken her ankle.

"I'm fine." Nikki assured with a smile.

Ava looked uncertain and by now everyone else was watching Nikki as well.

"Guys, really-" Nikki cut off as it happened again. "It's um, a girl thing…" Nikki lied quietly, pretending she didn't really want Jay to hear her. Ava nodded and the others chuckled softly. "Sorry, sweetie." Ava whispered.

Nikki smiled. "Nah, it's fine." She felt it again and excused herself.

Hurrying up to her room, Nikki grabbed her cell phone and sent a text to her older brother. There was no reply and Nikki felt sure she knew why.

---

"Bradin!!" Fran's scream pierced the crisp Kansas air.

"Holy shit, man!" Frank jumped up from the tree that he had been sitting under smoking and rushed towards the river, tossing his cigarette along the way.

Bradin had slipped off the edge of the river bed and hit the iced over waters. They weren't solid at this time of year so he crashed through, to the icy waters below.

"Hold on, man!" Frank called, carefully making his way down the side of the riverbank.

"Hurry! There's an undercurrent from hell down here!!" Bradin yelled.

"Oh, my God!!" Fran felt helpless just standing on the shore watching the scene play out. But she didn't know what else to do.

Frank made it down to the water's edge but stopped. He could go no further without stepping on the ice himself and Bradin was still a good 6 feet away from him. "Damn it…" he muttered under his breath while gathering some underbrush together in a fist full. Holding tightly to the weeds and vines, Frank stepped very cautiously onto the frozen river. He knew that close to the shore the water would be more likely to already be frozen solid since it wasn't nearly as deep as further out.

"Be careful, Frank!! It's not even winter!" Fran yelled from the shore.

"Fuck, don't I know it!" Frank yelled back, eyeing Bradin as he spoke. He had to get him out of there… Bradin was desperately clinging to the ice chunks that surrounded him and that which was still connected to the actual river. However, it wasn't working very well and he was, instead, mostly fighting against being pulled under and away by the strong currents beneath the surface. Frank could tell he was getting too cold to continue fighting much longer. He had to reach him before Bradin's strength gave out!

"Frank!! Frank do you have a knife on you!?" Fran yelled suddenly.

"Yeah!" Frank let go of the brush he was holding with one hand and fished the knife out of his pocket with the other. "Here!!" He threw it up on the bank. Fran snatched it up and ran off in the opposite direction, yelling over her shoulder. "Get him out, Frank! Hurry!!"

"Hurry…" Frank muttered. "I'm well fucking aware that I need to hurry!" He glanced back at Bradin who was still flailing in the waters, unable to swim any closer to the shore because of the current but also because he was unable to climb out because he'd just fall back through the ice.

Frank stepped further onto the ice but felt it cracking and quickly stepped back. "You're gonna have to try and climb onto the solid ice!" Frank shouted to Bradin. "I can't get to you…" he added.

"I can't, man." Bradin shouted back, though not with as much force. He was feeling more numb by the second and losing strength about as quick.

"Well, shit! I can't do anything either…" Frank replied in a shout. "Are you sure you can't?"

"I'll fall back through anyway."

"But maybe you'd fall through closer to me and I could grab you…" Even as Frank spoke, he knew this wasn't true. "Oh, fuck it. Never mind that."

"I'm gonna drown here if somebody doesn't do something!" Bradin shouted to Frank.

"I know!" Frank yelled, desperate for an idea to hit him.

"Here!!!" Fran's voice boomed over the edge of the bank as she sent a robe sailing down to Frank.

"Hell, yes, Fran!!" Frank snatched up the rope and threw one end out to Bradin yelling, "Catch!!"

Bradin got hold of the rope and held it with both hands saying loudly, "It's on you, man! I'm letting go of the ice."

Frank felt Bradin's weight on the other end of the rope and leaned backward, throwing all _his _weight into keeping Bradin afloat. "Fran!!" Frank yelled over his head. "Come help me!!"

Fran scrambled down the side of the riverbank to the solid ice where Frank stood she started to take hold of the rope but Frank stopped her saying, "No, try to break up the ice out to where Bradin is so I can pull him out!"

Fran grabbed a few large rocks from the shore and hurled them onto the ice yelling to Bradin, "Look out!"

Some of it cracked and floated but some stayed where it was. Frank pulled in rope as soon as there was more water to pull Bradin through. "Try climbing on that ice!" he yelled.

Bradin did so but the ice cracked and he was back in the water within a second.

"Good!" Frank pulled in more of the rope. Bradin was only 4 feet from the siblings now.

Fran watched breathlessly as Bradin tried climbing out once more only to fall in again. She realized this was what both he and Frank were aiming for. Frank pulled him closer and the two repeated the process. Now Bradin was only about 2 feet away and Fran got onto her knees and reached out for Bradin's hand. He let go of the rope with one hand and grasped Fran's with it. Frank grabbed his other hand, dropping the rope at the same time, and together the siblings pulled Bradin up and onto the solid ice. The teens then hurried to help Bradin up the bank and back onto solid ground lest something should happen and they all ended up in the perilous river.

"Oh, my God…" Fran breathed out as the three of them fell out in the dirt above the partially-frozen river below.

"Thanks for the push, Fran." Bradin joked, coughing on water and shivering even as he did.

"Fuck!! Don't even say that! I am _so _sorry!!" Fran exclaimed. "Like, you have no freakin' idea!!"

"Fran." Bradin stopped her. "I was kidding. It wasn't your fault." He coughed again.

"Yes, it was!" Fran practically yelled. "Oh, my God! Are you seriously saying it wasn't my fault!?"

Frank interrupted her. "Where'd you get the rope and where's my knife?" he wanted to know.

"Frank! Bradin almost freakin' drowned and you want your _knife _back!??" Fran threw up her hands in mock defeat. "You're hopeless!"

"Just give it to me, Francis."

Fran sighed. "It's over there." She said, sitting up and pointing towards the river's edge.

Frank stood up and retrieved it then disappeared down the side of the bank and returned a moment later with the mysterious rope. "So where'd you get it?"

"Oh. I climbed up that tree down by the natural pond and cut it out. You know, it hangs there cause in the summer everybody swims there."

"Yeah. Wow. Nice memory. I'd not only forgotten that pond existed, but I'd _really_ forgotten there was a rope in that tree!"

"I go there a lot." Fran admitted. "But oh, my God. Let's get Bradin home. He's probably gonna like, get phenomena or hypothermia or something."

Frank rolled his eyes. "I don't know about that. But yeah, come on." He and Fran helped Bradin, who was shivering and weak, get to his feet. "Don't go to my house, please." Bradin begged. "I know H- Harry would absolutely flip out."

"We'll go to ours. Come on." Frank said.

---

"Bradin?" Harry's voice came from the darkened living room where a TV screen flickered, making distorted shadows dance across the walls.

"It's me." Bradin replied, stepping into the room and looking at his father who was laying on the couch. "You not feeling good?" he asked, noting that Harry looked as though he'd been asleep.

"'Eh, allergies getting to me. The lights were bothering my eyes. I guess I fell asleep." Harry said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Ah." Bradin sat down on the couch at the other end from Harry. "What's on?" he asked, indicating the TV.

"Hm? Oh, I don't know. I-"

"Fell asleep." Bradin finished for him, laughing. "Right, sorry."

"What time is it?" Harry asked, again rubbing his eyes.

"Almost 10." Bradin answered.

"At night?" Harry asked.

Bradin wasn't sure if he was serious or not but he laughed, saying, "Yeah?"

"Oh. Whoa, what's wrong with _me_?" Harry mumbled, standing up and stretching. "Did you just get home?"

"Yeah." Bradin replied slowly. "Remember, I called you about 3 this afternoon and told you I was gonna stay and eat dinner with the Wilkersons?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Sorry." Harry stretched again. "I think I need to sleep more than I do."

Bradin laughed.

"Care for a snack?" Harry asked, heading into the kitchen and flipping on the overhead light.

"Sure." Bradin got up and followed. Leaning up against the counter, Bradin watched as his father dug around in the fridge until he had found a mostly eaten cherry pie. Somehow getting two pieces out of the leftovers, Harry put them each on a dessert plate and handed one to Bradin.

"So how would you like to do some night fishing?"

Bradin considered this. "I haven't fished since before-" stopped himself. "in a while." he finished quietly.

"Oh, I understand." Harry said softly, taking a bite of his pie. "I just thought you might enjoy it."

Bradin started to say he probably wouldn't but something stopped him. "Yeah, I probably would." he said, taking a bite of pie.

"Hmm." Harry was quiet for the remainder of the snack-time and put the dishes in the sink before turning to Bradin and saying, "How 'bout we go now? There's a lake not too far from here, maybe an hour's drive." He said.

Bradin looked at him. "An hour's drive..." he said slowly.

Harry shrugged. "I slept most of the day away, I doubt I'll be able to sleep at all tonight." He chuckled. "But if you don't want to, you don't have to!" he added quickly.

Bradin honestly _didn't_ want to. Not that he didn't want to go, he did. But he was aching and tired from his ordeal of falling into the Arkansas River earlier that day. He'd gone back to Frank and Fran's house with them and Frank had given him some clothes to wear while their mother dried Bradin's. Thankfully, Mrs. Wilkerson was at home and quickly took care of Bradin in a way that only a mother could.

She had him go up and take a warm shower and then had him wrap up in a blanket while she got some hot soup ready for him. By the time Fran's mother was finished , Bradin felt much, much better. After that he just sat around with Frank and Fran playing video games and chit-chatting until Mrs. Wilkerson suggested he stay for supper, which he did, then the whole family watched a movie together and Mr. Wilkerson got home, insisting upon driving Bradin home instead of troubling his father to come get him since it was already nearing 10'o'clock, which he did.

Frankly, Bradin was just worn slap out. But the idea strangely appealed to him. Even though, he really didn't like spending too much time with Harry because he was always afraid he'd tick him off and make him mad. Harry, Bradin had learned, did one of two things when mad; he either hit you (at least, he had on 2 occasions anyway) or he got pissy and gruff. But still, fishing with his father sounded fun to him. Even if Harry still wasn't, and probably never would be, a real _father _to Bradin.

"No, it's fine. We can go." Bradin answered after a second.

"Well, not if you don't want to." Harry insisted, sensing the slight hesitation in Bradin's voice.

"No, really, it's fine. I do." Bradin said.

"Alrighty. By the way, why'd you call me from Fran's house today?"

"Huh?"

"You called from her phone, I guess." Harry shrugged. "I just meant, where's your cell?"

Bradin thought about that. Probably somewhere in Oklahoma by now. Or at the bottom of the river. "I... lost it." He admitted truthfully.

"You lost it?"

"Well it just kind of got ruined." Bradin muttered.

"So I take it we're never seeing that device again?"

"No, I doubt it." Bradin glanced up at Harry to see if he was mad. However, the older man was only shaking his head and smiling. "Well, it was your aunt's phone plan, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I'll call her tomorrow and ask her about it." Bradin said.

"Okay." Harry agreed, digging around in his pocket for his keys. "Let's go!" he said, heading for the back door.

"You didn't need to get anything?" Bradin asked, following his father out the door.

"It's all in the shed out here." Harry replied, locking the backdoor and leading the way over to the shed behind the house.

After gathering the necessary supplies and making a trip to the restroom each Harry and Bradin set off for the lake Harry had mentioned, fishing gear piled high in the back of Harry's truck. Harry said the it would work better for a fishing trip than the BMW would. Bradin, however, had his doubts that the thing would even stay running that long it looked so beat down. However, as it had the first day Bradin had arrived in the Kansas, the truck didn't fail them. In fact, the old thing seemed to run as good as the BMW!

A little bit of conversation and a lot of radio later the two arrived at the lake Harry had mentioned. Setting up on the bank to fish in the not yet frozen waters, the two threw out their lines and leaned back, relaxing for the wait that was sure to follow.

After a few minutes Harry spoke quietly, not wanting to scare off any potential bites. "Do you miss them much of the time, Bradin?"

Bradin was surprised by the question and took a minute to reply. "Miss who?" he asked, playing dumb.

"Your... mom and Bob." Harry chose his words carefully.

Bradin stared out across the lake. It wasn't all that big and he could see the moon hitting the tops of the trees on the other side. He wondered what the side he was on looked like from there.

"Bradin?" Harry asked gently.

"Huh?" Bradin jerked out of his reverie. "Oh, um... yeah." He admitted quietly. "I miss them a lot. But it's not like, you know, life-altering." He chuckled slightly.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking over at his son.

"Sorry." Bradin laughed fully this time. "It's just, after the accident... I guess I was pretty distant for a while there and people started to suggest therapy for me. To 'treat my condition as it was life-altering', as they put it." Bradin explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, I doubt that. It's natural to miss somebody so much you just start to shut everything else out." Harry said knowingly. "I remember when my mother died it just kind of killed me too, you know what I mean?"

Bradin nodded. "Yeah." He bit his bottom lip. "It's like, some huge chunk of you goes with that person when they do. And then slowly you get it back."

"Yeah." Harry agreed, nodding. "Not all at once but little-by-little you start to realize you're getting your life back."

"You get it in little bits and pieces till one day you wake up and realize you're... okay." Bradin chewed his lip as he spoke but stopped on the last word. "I guess that's all I mean. I'm okay, you know? But I still miss them too." He said softly, looking down at the dirt and rocks on the waters' edge.

"I know you miss them." Harry put an arm around Bradin's shoulders and pulled him close, hugging him. "And I know you're okay too." He smiled at Bradin, making him smile back as Harry let go of his shoulders. "I'm glad."

Bradin looked back across the lake. "So am I." he smiled as he felt a jerk on his line.

"Reel it in!" Harry exclaimed, noticing it too. He helped Bradin as the teen started to bring the fish in. The fish, being much bigger than either of them expected, put up quite the fight and, at one point, wound up dragging half of the line back out into the water. However, after a good deal of fighting, and an even greater deal of laughing, man prevailed. Bradin fell back laughing as the fish jerked on the shore, so close to the water that his tail fin threw up a cloud of water and straight into Harry's face.

Harry laughed as well, looking down at Bradin who was laying on his back choking on laughter. He shook his head. "All right, kid."

Bradin just laughed worse.

"Bradin." Harry rolled his eyes.

Bradin sat up, still laughing some. "Sorry, but you gotta admit," he look at the fish, now limp on the shore. "he got the last word."

Harry looked at the fish as well. He looked back at Bradin and the teen nodded, getting to his feet and standing over the fish. Together, he and Harry lifted the slightly twitching fish into the air and tossed it towards the waters. It swam away quickly and Bradin smiled to himself. He was actually having a good time.

"So I think I've had enough fishing for one night, how 'bout you?" Harry asked, turning to Bradin.

Bradin nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He stifled a yawn. "In fact, I'd say I completely agree."

Harry laughed. "Let's go then."

Together the two of them threw all their gear back into the old pickup and took their places in the cab. Bradin turned the radio on and Harry started to whistle along with the guitar solo. Bradin looked out his side window, resting his head on the back of the seat. Maybe he'd just shut his eyes for a minute. He was – yawn – so tired.

Harry drove in silence, save for the radio, for about ten minutes before he glanced at Bradin and realized that the teen had fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, Harry turned the radio down low and turned his attention back to the road. He was so glad he finally had his son with him.

* * *

**Yes, I realize there's no cliffhanger. But I just couldn't fit one in. The next chapter's on its way soon though, so be ready! -wink- So please let me know what y'all thought!! Thanks!**

_Hugs,  
Anna Christie_


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